The Wrong One
by Nefhiriel
Summary: When murder is unknowingly hindered by Estel, there are harsh consequences. Legolas & the twins rush to help, but this time are they in over their heads? I have worked hard on this for months please give it a chance!
1. Twist of Fate

**  
The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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**!!!PLEASE NOTE!!!:** I know this intro is a little long, but PLEASE bear with me! There is some rather important information in here, so please don't just skip over it!

This story is NOT a WIP. I'm not going to post chapters until I get reviews, but you can rest assured, I promise I won't get lazy and leave you hanging (I've had it happen to me, it's sooo annoying to say the least). I have the entire story typed up (except for the last chapter, which I have planned, but not written down yet), I'm just waiting for some reviews – the sooner you review, the sooner it'll all be up! Anyways, just didn't want people not reading this because they don't want to be left years waiting for a conclusion. This story is "RP" (reviewer powered : )

This story is NOT slash! I do not read or write slash, and never intend to.

Also, I wrote this story over a period of several months. During that time I gained quite a bit of writing experience. I have tried to edit and improve earlier chapters as best I could, but I still don't quite feel that they're up to the same quality as my later chapters. If you don't like the quality of the earlier chapters, PLEASE stick with me and give my story a chance. The quality should (I hope) improve as the story progresses.

**PG-13: **Violence, torture, and angst. There will be some blood, wounds, broken bones, cuts, bruises etc. So if you can't stand that sort of thing be warned.

**Genres:** Angst/Mystery/Action/Adventure

**Main characters: **Aragorn, Elrond, Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir, and a small appearance by Glorfindel (plus a few OC's)

**Mellon Chronicles Characters:** Moranuen, Celboril, and Taradin

**Summary:** A murder is unknowingly hindered by Estel. There are harsh consequences. Legolas & the twins rush to help, but this time are they in over their heads?

**Disclaimer:** I'm afraid that, just like all the rest of you, I can't claim to own any part of Middle Earth, or it's amazing characters. The only characters I can claim as my own are Dolenil, Glamdil, and the villains. If for any reason you would like to use my characters please ask permission. I don't anticipate swarms of people begging to use my superfluous creations, but if you do like them, please ask for permission before using them. Thanks!

**Warning: **I have adopted Cassia and Siobhan's theory that Gilrean dies and isn't around to raise Aragorn, and he is literally adopted and raised by Elrond. I suppose it's technically AU. I hope most of you don't mind either of these changes, but if you do please don't send me nasty reviews. I don't mind opinions on grammar, spelling, punctuation – you name it!- but please bring it up for calm discussion.

**A/N:** Strange as it my sound the inspiration for this came from a story I watched on the TV series Diagnosis Murder. Inspiration can come from the oddest places : )  
  
**A/N #178909879... :-)** A BIG "Thank you" to Cassia and Siobhan, for letting me borrow their amazing characters for this story, and for inspiring me to write in the first place. You two are incredible authors, and you'll probably never know how much your work has influenced and encouraged me. Please check out their website. The URL is in my bio.

This is the intro that never ends, it just keeps going on mellyn-nin! Some crazy author started writing it, not knowing when to stop, and she'll just keep going on forever, just because, this is the intro that never ends...

Ok, this really is the last thing: for those of you who may not know, Aragorn Estel Strider

_- This first chapter is dedicated to my wonderful, amazing, marvelous, encouraging, brilliant, new friends: Linuvial Greenleaf & Spades. I just like to call them "Dear Abby" : ) Hannon le, mellyn-nin! - _

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**Chapter 1: Twist of Fate**

Aragorn entered the beautiful, sunlit gardens that surrounded Rivendell. It was early Fall, and though the nights, of late, had been pleasantly cool, this day was already promising to be suffocatingly hot. Leisurely he glanced around and spotted a blond elf sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree. The smile he was wearing increased as he recognized his friend, Legolas. Mischievously he doubled around and, using all his stealth, snuck up upon the unwary elf. He was just preparing to surprise his friend, when his friend suddenly surprised him.

"Hello, mellon-nín." Legolas said calmly, without turning around.

Aragorn registered shock only briefly, then he sunk down on the bench with a sigh and mumbled:

"The elves and their accursed good hearing."

Legolas smiled.

"You never quit trying, do you?"

Aragorn attempted to look innocent.

"Never quit trying what?"

"You know very well what I am talking about Estel. Walking on snow, climbing trees, sneaking up on people—sleeping with your eyes open..."

"So Elladan and Elrohir told you about that little incident?"

Legolas's laugh was all Aragorn needed for an answer. He rolled his eyes.

"Unless you want me to tell them about that time that time in Mirkwood when you and I—"

"You wouldn't dare!"

It was Aragorn's turn to look smug.

"Oh, I wouldn't, would I?"

"Not if you know what's good for you."

"Is that a veiled threat I hear, Legolas?"

"Of course not! It wasn't 'veiled' at all."

"Very funny, mellon-nín. Just remember, I do have one or two stories that I have a feeling Elladan and Elrohir would very much appreciate hearing."

"Where are those two anyways?"

"I believe they're still in bed."

"At this hour?" Legolas asked, incredulously arching an eyebrow.

Aragorn shrugged.

"They were up late, I guess."

"Let's go see if they're up now."

They both rose from the bench and began striding towards the house.

Preocupied, Aragorn didn't watch where he was walking and ended up graclessly stumbling over a rock. He caught himself in time to keep from falling, but his clumsy movement had no chance of going unoticed.

"Clumsy human..." Legolas grinned and shook his head with mock condescention.

Aragorn rolled his eyes.

"Haughty elf." he rubbed his sore leg. "Oh, yes, I forgot: you're 'the elf who never trips'."

"Of course." he said nonchalantly and then smiled a maddeningly charming smile.

"Of course." Aragorn echoed, this time with wry acceptance.

As they walked, Legolas studied the human closer. He had changed so much in the last few months... Every time he saw Aragorn he was struck by how much older and more careworn he looked.

He'd known that a spending nearly all of that spring and summer among the rangers would, of course, change him, but it was hard to get used to. Yes... physically he had changed, but in every other way he still appeared to be the same as ever. There was relief in finding that it was his looks only, and not his heart, that was worn.Certainly, Aragorn had acquired a new level of maturity, but his ability to rival even his brothers in acting imature and mischevious would never be completely lost. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

There were some things that would never change - at least he hoped not.

Passing through the hallways they stopped first at Elrohir's room and after seeing that neither of them was there they stepped back out into the hall and headed off to Elladan's room.

"Estel."

They turned around and saw Moranuen coming towards them.

"Estel, Lord Elrond would like to see you."

"I'll be there immediately Mora." after Moranuen had left he said, "Legolas, you go find Elladan and Elrohir, I'll be back soon."

Legolas nodded and Aragorn left for his father's study.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  
  
Ceboril smiled as he stirred the cold drinks for Elladan and Elrohir.

_This should help them wake up_.

He thought to himself. He chuckled fondly as the image of the sleeping twins, draped over two chairs, came to mind. He set the two drinks down on the counter and then left the room to check on how the other preparations for breakfast were coming along.

As soon as the sound of his footsteps had died away a figure emerged from the shadows. The figure drew a small white vial from beneath the folds of his cape. Noiselessly creeping forward, he poured half of the white powder contained in the vial into one glass and the rest of the powder into the other. He looked up as he heard the footsteps coming back. Putting the vial once more beneath the folds of his cape, he stole away as softly as he had come, melting back into the shadows.

"Eglaer!" Ceboril called, reentering the kitchen. "Eglaer!"

A brown-haired youth turned the corner and almost knocked Ceboril over. Still endeavoring to catch his breath, he asked:

"Yes Ceboril?"

Ceboril smiled at the boy. Eglaer, who had come with Taradin and the other hunters, had been helping out in the kitchen. Taradin had laughingly asked him to give Eglaer something to do, anything to 'keep him out of trouble'. Ceboril was all too glad to have an extra hand getting the food ready. Taradin had brought a number of hunters and sometimes getting the meal together could be rather hectic.

Taradin and his men had run into a little trouble with some wolves a few days earlier, just outside the borders of Rivendell. Although they had dispatched them without too much difficulty, several of their number had been wounded, so they had decided to ask for shelter in the nearby elven refuge.

"You don't need to look so worried Eglaer, I was just going to ask you to bring these up to Elladan and Elrohir."

Eglaer finally succeeded in catching his breath. He nodded when he heard the request and energetically snatched up the glasses.

"I believe they're both in Elladan's room. You know the way?"

The boy nodded again and headed off on his assignment. On his way to Elladan's room he saw Aragorn, headed in the same direction. When Aragorn stopped to talk to him Eglaer's eyes shone with admiration for the tall, dark, strong-looking Ranger.

"Hello Eglaer . It is Eglaer, isn't it?"

"Yes my Lord."

Aragorn smiled.

"No need to call me 'my Lord'. I'm calling you by your first name, it's only right you should call me by mine. Just call me Strider."

"Thank you, Strider." Eglaer said, returning the smile.

"Where are you going with those drinks?"

"Ceboril sent me to take them to Lord Elrond's sons."

"I'm going to see Elladan and Elrohir myself, I'll give these drinks to them if they're awake."

Eglaer handed Aragorn the drinks and thanked him, leaving for the kitchen again.

Aragorn entered Elladan's room and sat down next to Legolas, the twins were fast asleep, sprawled uncerimoniously across two chairs. Apparently they hadn't made it to their beds before sleep had overtaken them. Not altogether unusual, for them, but certainly amusing.

"Should we wake them?" Legolas asked.

"No, I don't think so. Ada said that they were up very late last night. We should let them sleep for a few more hours. Ceboril can bring them something later."

Aragorn handed Legolas one of the two glasses.

"I guess they won't need their lemonade any time soon. In this heat these drinks won't last long, and we wouldn't want to waste them..." Aragorn took a long drink.

"No, of course not." Legolas raised the glass to his lips but hesitated. "I wonder what these two were doing all night."

Aragorn shrugged and drank of the last of his lemonade.

"You never know with Elladan and Elrohir, maybe they were coming up with new ways to get even with us."

"Oh come on, El and El aren't that premeditative. I think they just do whatever pops into their heads."

"So," Aragorn chuckled, "that's the reason for all their irrational behavior."

"Yes, you three are all very much alike." Legolas grinned.

Before Aragorn had a chance to come up with a response, the bell rang for breakfast and they set down their glasses—one full, one empty.

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**To Be Continued...(???)** As my reviewers, you make the decision.  
  
Nefhiriel: So now you've all got to review for me, (smiles ingratiatingly) if you don't I won't ever write any more. I won't even post the rest of this story.

Readers: (hopefully) Really?! Is that a promise?

Nefhiriel: (glares) OK, OK! If you don't review for me I'll... I'll...

Readers: Yes?

Nefhiriel: I'll write and write and write and write, awful, stupid, fan fic. I'll ruin all your favorite characters or kill them, Mordor will take over the world! And you won't be able to stop me! (smiles wickedly)

Readers: Hmmmm.

Nefhiriel: Don't tell me you still won't review for me? (puts hands on hips and gives an exasperated sigh) You wouldn't want to be responsible for driving me to the 'Dark side' would you?

Readers: Well, no but-

Nefhiriel: Then review! You wouldn't want to see some of my bad stories.

Readers: So you're saying that this is suppose to be good? (raises an incredulous eyebrow)

Nefhiriel: Trust me, you don't want to see how bad it could get! Bwahahahahahaha! See, I've already got the laugh down—if you don't review you'll turn me into the next Darth Vader (or Morgoth, or Sauron, or if you are a MC fan – the next Doriflen) !

Hehe, aren't I dramatic? smiles Well, don't drive me to the 'Dark side', I think I'd make a pretty good villain : ) Now how did I do that? Bwa-ha-ha....

The next chapter will be a real cliffy called: "Knocked Into Darkness". You have no idea just how much it would encourage me if you would drop a few lines! Nothing much, just a "hi, I liked your story" (or "hi, I hated it" : b ) - just speak to me!!!


	2. Knocked into Darkness

****

**The Wrong One**

-By Nefhiriel

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"Never attribute to malice what can easily be explained by stupidity." - Unknown 

**A/N:** Several people have pointed out to me that the way I asked for reviews in my introduction was rather demanding and might put people off. I am SO, SO, SO, sorry about that! I'm afraid I wasn't looking at it from a readers' point of view. With hindsight, I see how my comments could easily be seen that way. It was not my intent to imply that I didn't want people reading my story unless they were going to review. I love reviews, but I completely understand how things can be to busy and you may not have the time. What I DID mean was: if you review for me, it will not go unnoticed. It will be HIGHLY appreciated and encouraging. It of gives me the energy to post more quickly (see, I wasn't planning on posting this chapter until Friday, but here it is! :-). I hope that you will continue to read my story despite less-than-ideal first impressions. You all have my sincere thanks for pointing my error out, my sincere appologies for having made it, and my sincere embarassment for not having realized how it would sound! Please atribute it all to stupidity instead of malice : )

Many, many thanks to all who kindly overlooked my rudeness and read my story anyways. I was overwhelmed by the number of kind reviews I received.

OK, now you can read the next chapter, I'm off to finish banging my head against the wall...

**A note from the Editor:** Hello, Imbecamiel here! I'm Nefhiriel's sister, editor, and official publicity agent :-) It's come to my attention that throughout the first chapter, Celboril's name was somehow misspelled. I'm very sorry about that, it's something I really should have caught. My apologies to Cassia and Sio. Please don't shoot the poor beginning author (or her equally inattentive sister) :-) I also feel I should accept some responsibility for the poorly expressed introduction. As both editor and publicity agent, that's something I should have pointed out to her. I guess I'd better go now and stop Nefhiriel before she does some serious damage to her head (or the wall, whichever proves hardest... :-)

Reviewer responses are at the end of the chapter.

One last note. Some of you have mentioned having problems with the full chapter not showing up. I'm afraid I'm not very computer savvy, so I'm not sure what's causing this. I'm uploading this chapter with IE instead of Mozilla. Please let me know if this helps.

_-This chapter is dedicated to muindor-nin (my brother). (He bribed me with Skittles : ) He really is a sweetheart, constantly energizing me to do things that I never thought of doing before. - _

**

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****Chapter 2: Knocked Into Darkness  
**  
Aragorn and Legolas took their seats at the long table. A few seats down and across from them sat Dolenil, an elf from Mirkwood who had come to Rivendell a few days ago with a message from Thranduil for Legolas. Legolas had been very relived to hear that all was well with his father. He would send Dolenil back soon with a message of his own, but for now there was no need to rush. 

The Silvan elf's blond hair was pulled strictly back from his face in a style common of the elves. His green outfit was immaculate and completely crease-free. Although Aragorn didn't like to admit it, every time he looked at Dolenil's cold and impassive face shivers ran down his spine.  
  
Dolenil bowed his head in a respectful gesture as his eyes met those of his Prince, but when his eyes alighted upon Aragorn it was entirely different situation. He scowled and turned his attention back to the meal. Legolas frowned, and looked at Aragorn who appeared just as bewildered.  
  
"What's wrong with him?" Aragorn asked, "I noticed that he seemed suspicious of me, and even a little angry. But why? I don't recall ever meeting him before. I haven't had a chance to make an enemy out of him, yet I feel like he already has a grudge against me."  
  
"You have an overactive imagination, Estel." Legolas replied.

"But there's another thing has been bothering me. I'm not the only one he's been giving a cold shoulder. Although he wouldn't dare level one of his glares at Lord Elrond or my brothers, he seems so awkward. He shows respect, certainly, but he does it so coldly, stiffly... Something's not entirely right with him."  
  
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that. He's always like that."

"Always?"

"I'm afraid so."

Aragorn stole another glance at elf.

"He never relaxes?"

"Well, not that I've ever seen or heard of."

"How well do you know him?"

"Well enough to know that he's a good elf at heart."

Aragorn couldn't help but shiver and look away as Dolenil's ice-blue eyes caught his and gazed unflinchingly back.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

Legolas rolled his eyes.

"You of all people..."

"I of all people what?"

"I've never seen you jump to a conclusion so quickly about anyone. Really, I always thought of you as the kind of person who could run in to Morgoth himself and decide to give the 'poor Valar' a second chance."

"But there's just something about the way he looks..."

"So your basing your judgment on my friend by the way he looks?"

"Your friend?"

"Yes, I have picked up a few friends besides you in the several thousand years of my life." Legolas laughed.

"But you're friends with him?" Aragorn ignored Legolas's sarcasm.

"Despite what you may think about Dolenil, he's a loyal subject, a sane being, and a good elf."

"But—"

"Mellon-nin, if I didn't know better I'd think you were bored."

"Bored?"

"Yes, bored and looking for a mystery to solve." Legolas smiled as Aragorn's face became indignant. "You seem to be looking for mystery and intrigue behind every bush. You're going to have to look somewhere else. Dolenil isn't about to commit a murder."

Their conversation was interrupted as a swarthy ranger sat down in an empty seat next to Aragorn. The dark-haired ranger, in a odd, vague way, resembled Aragorn. His warm brown eyes smiled pleasantly and Aragorn and Legolas were relieved to see that they would have a much more amiable dining companion than Dolenil.  
  
"I don't think we ever met." the stranger said, "I am called Acharndil."  
  
"Greetings Acharndil, I am called Strider among the rangers."  
  
"Ah yes, Strider. Taradin has spoken of you often."  
  
Legolas watched curiously as the two men talked together. Acharndil and Aragorn even wore the same care-worn expression. Acharndil must have been nearly forty-five in Legolas's opinion, quite a few years older than Aragorn. But then, when you were Estel, adopted human child of Elrond, surrounded by elves, all thousands of years older than you, well... Ten, fifteen—even twenty years—didn't seen all that extraordinary.  
  
"I saw you come in with a nasty gash on your leg. You're recovering well?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"It causes some pain at times, but it's healing well. I expect that with time even this tell-tale limp of mine will disappear." Acharndil said in reply.  
  
Aragorn was just going to say something more, but a strange twinge of pain flickered over his brain. It was all he could do to keep from crying out in surprise as another stab of pain shot through his body. Then, as quickly as it had happened, the pain ceased. Legolas was engaged in conversation with the elf that sat beside him and as Aragorn's face was turned away from him, he didn't detect his friend's trouble. However, Acharndil did see.

"Is anything the matter?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, nothing at all." Aragorn answered a bit too eagerly, he continued a little slower, "Nothing, Celboril must have put too much sugar in that lemonade." he brushed it off lightly. "Good thing I drank it for Elladan and Elrohir, wouldn't want them sick!"  
  
Legolas, who had tuned in to what they were talking about again, laughed.  
  
"You forget Strider, elves don't get sick." he said with an amused smile.  
  
"Yes, well this lemonade would have made even an elf sick!"  
  
"Just don't expect them to fall down on their knees and thank you for drinking their lemonade." Legolas said, still smiling.  
  
The light morning meal was soon over, Acharndil was called away, and Aragorn and Legolas rose from their chairs.  
  
Aragorn suddenly felt his head begin to swim, and he grasped the back of the chair for support. He stood still for a moment, allowing his eyes to refocus. Legolas looked at him with concern.  
  
"Are you all right mellon-nín?"  
  
Aragorn managed to stabilize himself quickly.  
  
"I'm fine." he said, shrugging it off as doubtlessly being caused by the heat.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm_ sure_." Aragorn said forcefully.  
  
Legolas shook his head doubtfully.  
  
"When you say 'I'm fine' I _know_ something is wrong with you."  
  
"Legolas..." Aragorn said warningly, "I'm alright."

"Just don't blame me you collapse from heat-stroke or-"  
  
"Collapse from heat-stroke?" two voices echoed Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir stepped through the doorway.  
  
"Aren't you feeling well?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"If you're sick don't try to hide it from us." Elladan commanded.  
  
"Don't you two start in as well!" Aragorn groaned.

"You should have seen his face," Legolas insisted, "just a minute ago he was grimacing in pain!"

"Grimacing in pain?" Aragorn exclaimed innocently, "Now whose imagination is running away?"  
  
"Eglaer!" Celboril's voice called out from the kitchen.  
  
"You know, I think it would be a very good idea if we left about now." the ranger suggested.  
  
"Leave? Celboril would hardly recruit us, I am a guest after all."  
  
"Oh, you'd be surprised. I don't think _anyone_ escapes Ceboril if they're caught lounging around the kitchen after a meal." said Elladan.  
  
"Yes Legolas, I can't believe you've forgotten so quickly! You must have been away for longer than we thought." Elrohir added with a smile.  
  
"On second thought..." Legolas started speaking just as the sound of approaching voices got louder. "The gardens are starting to sound terribly attractive."  
  
Aragorn swiftly fled the room behind his brothers and Legolas. Intent on eluding Ceboril, they never saw the look on his face as fresh wave of nausea swept over him.  
  
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The heat outdoors in the open sunlight would have been next to unbearable if it weren't for the slight breeze blowing in from the East. The gardens were relatively cool, thanks to that and the shade from the trees that grew there. All four of them slowed their pace and began to breathe easier as they escaped into the welcome coolness.  
  
Breathing in the welcome, fresh-flowing air, Aragorn inhaled deeply. He was almost certain that all this hot weather was responsible for the way he was feeling. It took a few more deep breaths, but soon the strange feeling began to pass.  
  
It was easy to push away any concern he might have felt in the light-hearted atmosphere that the others' talk created. Despite the fact that he was beginning to feel alright, he was apparently far from looking it.  
  
"Estel, are you sure you're alright? You're looking a little pale." asked Elladan.  
  
"Legolas just asked me if was feeling alright about ten times!" Aragorn said exasperatedly, "Will you three stop it? I'm feeling good enough to take any one of you on—why not all three?" he challenged, hoping to put their minds at ease once and for all by proving to them that he was 'fine'.  
  
" You must be more than sick, Estel!" Elrohir exclaimed, "You must be out of your mind!"  
  
"And we all would just hate to take advantage of one so mentally unstable..." Legolas said, grinning as they all three approached Estel. 

"Are you sure about this?" Elladan teased. "Three elves against one human...?"

"Ah, but you forget, spending the summer with the rangers has greatly improved my skills!" Aragorn retorted.

"Are you suggesting that the rangers know how to teach sparring better than your own brothers?" Elladan demanded with pretended indignation.

"Hmm, perhaps not..." he continued with an impish grin, "But they do it _far _more gracefully!"

With a roar the twins pounced, and Legolas was not far behind them. All of them knew each other's favorite tactics and each of them used that knowledge to their best advantage. Fighting with friends is scarcely a real fight, and much of the time they were hardly making contact at all. Their 'fight' consisted, for the most part, of dodging and ducking, side-stepping and missing. Because of this, the small struggle would most likely have ended in a universal tie when they all gave up from exhaustion. Aragorn was a strong fighter and no one was seriously trying to get an edge on anyone, certainly no one was meant to get hurt. 

Side dodging, Aragorn eluded a punch aimed at him by Elladan, but didn't see Legolas' fist coming until it was too late. Catching him upside the head, Legolas' punch overturned his already unstable balance and he fell to his knees.  
  
Not realizing anything was wrong, Legolas walked over to give him a hand up. To his confusion Aragorn didn't accept or even seem to notice the proffered hand, instead he was staring dazedly off into nothingness. Instantly Legolas began to fear that something of a far more serious nature than he had first thought had happened.  
  
"Estel, what's wrong?" he knelt down next to his friend. "Mellon-nin? What's wrong?!" he repeated more urgently when all he got in response was a glassy-eyed stare. Aragorn portrayed on his face the same horror and confusion that they would all feel in only a minute.  
  
"Legolas—I can't see."

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**To Be Continued...  
**  
**Reviewer responses: **

**Hanyou-demoness: **Glad you found my first chapter interesting! As for the poison... You'll find out about that in a little bit. Sorry I can't tell you, I have to follow the authors code and NEVER give secrets away : ) Wow! You didn't find ANY grammar mistakes?! That's great! I have to give all the credit to my AMAZING sister/editor, she's done an excellent job working out all the kinks in my story ; ) Thank you so much for reviewing, and adding me to your alerts (that just made my day!). Hope you enjoyed this next chapter!

**Isadora: **Thank you SO much for being an honest critic. I count myself blessed to have you for a reviewer. I really appreciate the fact that you were willing to be completely honest with me. It helps to know that someone will tell me the truth about what I write. I'm so glad you liked it, though (even despite the bad intro.). I hope that you will keep reading, and continue being honest with me. I know that I need to learn tact and how to express myself better, so thank you for helping me in that way.

**Cassia: **(stares in disbelief and awe) Cassia?! Is this the REAL Cassia – and she likes my story?! I was so thrilled to get an e-mail from you! I could just HUG you! Wait a minute, this is the great Cassia, is hugging appropriate? (hesitates, and then huggles a wide-eyed Cassia) This is sooo wonderful! Hurrah! (jumps up and down in excitement) You want more of the story too?! (switches abruptly into "responsible, mature, author mode") Thank you very much for your kind comments. I am very glad you find my writing style easy to read. My sister had said the same thing, but I didn't really believe her until you backed her up. BTW we were relieved to hear that you survived hurricane Ivan! I would truly be a tragedy if one of the authors of the MC were to disappear. Then we'd never get to read_ Darkness Before Dawn_ : ) Imbecamiel and I have been watching the trailer almost every day. I am so relieved that you think Celboril is in character so far. Imbecamiel and I have a soft spot for him because our mom is JUST like him. She seems to have a particular obsession with keeping the floors clean, and frequently calls everyone within hearing distance to come and exclaim over the "gigantic" pile of dirt and dog hair she's just swept of the kitchen floor. Recently my father responded with "No honey, I'm not going to fuel your obsession". We all had a good laugh over that – for several days. (relapses back into "hyper MC fan mode") She REALLY likes it!? Oh yes, oh yes – she likes it! (runs of screaming) Imbecamiel! Cassia reviewed! And she likes it!...

**Patty: **Glad you like my mystery lurker! He was a lot of fun to write, actually. As I'm sure you guess, we'll be seeing more of Mr. mysterious person in black cape (grin). Will Aragorn suffer for it? Of course! I am an Aragorn fan, thus the laws of fanficton demand that he MUST suffer for it (evil laugh) Your promise of reviews is very reassuring, and much appreciated! Thanks so very much!

**springfairy: **Ooo, lots of Estel makes you happy? Then I can promise you lots of happiness henceforth in my little corner of the web (grins) I happen to be a VERY big Aragorn fan myself. Thank you so much for the kind review (huggles) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**polingly: **Mae govannen, gwathel-nín esse Ilúlvatar! It's so good to have the President of the SNWCG reviewing for me (grins) Eglaer is certainly a poor kid, and not "out of trouble" by a long shot. I should hope Aragorn DOES learn his lesson about drinking other peoples stuff! If I weren't such a kind, gentle author he could get into some SERIOUS trouble in this story. Wait a minute. Who am I kidding? He IS in serious trouble! By the end of this Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas will never let him drink anything that hasn't been pre-tasted : ) One thing you might find interesting is that I've taken an idea from the SP and used it in this story. It won't come in till later, but it'll be fun to see if anyone other than you notices it. I think you'll catch it easily enough. I can't wait to see what your response is to this chapter and the ones to come.

**Rangergirl:** I'll be sure to tell Aragorn, but I doubt he'll listen to me. You know those rangers, they tend to have mind of their own... Still, you never know. And with the twins and Legolas to help me, we might be able to keep him out of trouble for a little while (little being the operative word here, this IS Aragorn we're talking about : ) Glad you like it! Thank you for your review, it was very encouraging!

**arcane: **Oh, thank you so much for reviewing! (huggles) You reviewers are so wonderful to me! I will definitely keep posting. And there's lots more to come. I'm glad you think the beginning is good.

**the magik dragen: **Thank you for giving me such an honest review! I definitely don't consider it flame (though, considering your name, it might have been a logical conclusion to leap to : ).I'm forever grateful for people like you who don't leave me looking like a fool (or a rude author). There's no way I can learn to express myself better if people don't tell me when I've made a mistake. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (and I hope that I'm learning to express myself better).

**Naesse: **I'm relieved to find that you think my story is off to a good start! I will most certainly keep posting it. Thank you soooo much for taking the time to review, it really encourages me!

**goddesscal: **Oh goody, now I can stop practicing that evil laugh! It's rather hard on the throat, you know : ) How those villains do it I'll never know... We'll leave that problem to Anakin (grins). So you like Aragorn trouble? I think you'll be pleased at the direction this story is heading in, then. I can assure you there will be plenty of angst for all, and Aragorn in particular will get more than his fair share : ) I worked and agonized hard over this story, so I'm happy to see it's paying off, and that you think I have done a good job with characterization. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**jacquelinestel: **Yes! I am so glad to see you here! I ALWAYS read your reviews on Linuvial Greenleaf's stories, and you just crack me up! My sister and I are still quoting you: "crazy? I was crazy once..." We've got that whole thing memorized, and drive our mother crazy walking around repeating it over and over : ) I just get the funniest pictures of Aragorn and Legolas when I read your little "skits" between the two of them – hilarious! You should have heard me cheer when I saw your name on the review : ) You're such an awesome reviewer, thank you for taking the time to read my story. All these reviews just make my day!

**Opaleye: **(blushes bright red) Thank you for saying such kind things about my story! I'm so glad that you don't think my character interactions seem forced. I really love writing dialogue, and I'm happy it shows. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the first, and thank you again!

**Iccle Fairy:** Oh, you are such a kind reviewer! (blushes) I must admit, I never expected so many wonderful, praising, reviews. I'm amazed that so many like it! To answer your question: I've been writing for ohh...a little over a year, now, I think. And yes, I absolutly LOVE Pirates of the Carribbean. I actually wrote a short humerous two-shot fic (you can see it under my bio, if you like). I like to impersonate Captain Jack frequently, which drives my sister insane when she's trying to teach me Spanish ; ) I LOVE rambily reveiws! I tend to write them quite often myself, and wouldn't trade ramblily reviewers for the WORLD! As long as you let me ramble back... I'll be happy : )

**Twilight-la-fae: **Yeah, (as you can read at the top) several people have pointed out to me how that first introduction sounded. I'm really sorry about that, and didn't mean that I wouldn't be updating at all if I didn't get reviews, just that I would be updating much faster (I need that energy : ) if I did get reviews. Thank you so much for pointing that out in a kind way. Glad you liked the "prissy elf" "clumsy human" thing. It was kind of a last minute addtion, so I was afraid that it might not blend into the rest of the chapter. (grin) Yes, it's too bad THEY can't hear the suspecful music, it might make them a LITTLE bit more careful : ) But then, this is Aragorn, Legolas, and the twins we're talking about, LOL. Is this a fast enough update? : ) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**grumpy: **I'm so glad you think I've made a good start! Hope this chapter was satisfactory as well. As for your questions... You'll just have to wait and see! Isn't that what all good (or bad : ) authors say? Madening, aren't we? (grins) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**sielge: **Oh, WOW!!!You think my story is beautiful?! That is so wonderful to hear! I hope you think this chapter was just as beautiful. I've really been working hard on it, and your comments are soooo much appreciated! Is this update soon enough for you? : ) Thanks again for saying such wonderful things (blushes and huggles sielge)!

**Don't you just love cliffies? Well, this entire story is, for the most part, entirely cliffhangers—so be prepared for more! This is going to be so much fun! (evil grin) The next chapter will be called "Innocence or Guilt". Oh, and Cassia, I assure you (my editor can back me up : ) that I wrote the last line of this chapter loooong before I read your preview for Darkness Before Dawn. I really didn't plagiarize your story – REALLY!**

**Thank you all for the WONDERFUL, OVERWHELMING, FANTASTIC responses!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and co-founder of the SNWCG (society for nerve-wracked computer ghosts)**


	3. A Hard Reality

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**The Wrong One**

-By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **More confessions from the terribly disorganized author... I'm afraid I gave the wrong title for this chapter last time. As you can see, this is NOT "Innocence or Guilt". Sorry, but that won't be till the chapter after next: ) Apparently around here, A/N stands for "Apologetic note" LOL. I guess I'll just continue to bang my head against that wall. Imbecamiel says I'll have to find a new wall soon, as this one is showing signs of wear... Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Hope you don't mind the continual thudding noise too much..... THUMP, THUMP, THUMP... CRACK! Oops. (rubs forehead as she ponders the brand-new hole in the wall) I guess Imbecamiel was right...(grins sheepishly) Well, I'm off to find myself a new wall! Enjoy! 

Reviewer responses at the end. See first chapter for disclaimers.

_- Dedicated to Strider (not the ranger, my dog : ). A sweet little puppy who has grown on everyone's heart – even Mom's... -_

**

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****Chapter 3: A Hard Reality **

As comprehension of what Aragorn was telling them grew, so did their bewilderment. Surely Legolas hadn't hit him hard enough to even temporarily cause blindness.

"What do you mean?" Legolas asked in shocked disbelief.

"I _mean_ I can't see!" Aragorn said, the slight edge of his tone not entirely concealing his panic. He forced his voice to become steady, "I don't know what happened I...I just can't see!"  
  
Getting over the initial shock, Aragorn got to his feet with Legolas' aid.

"We must find Ada.(_father_)" Elladan said, grimly leading the way indoors.

Elrohir set off ahead to inform Lord Elrond of what had happened. Elladan and Legolas led Aragorn to the infirmary and had him sit down on one of the beds.

Legolas' horror had by now been replaced by a sense of overwhelming guilt.

_I should have seen that something was wrong._

Reproachful thoughts and questions filled him.

_I should have been more careful! What if I had paid more attention to the first signs Estel had shown? But what had they been signs of? What was wrong? What could possibly have brought this on? I didn't hit him hard enough to cause loss of sight—or did I_?

He wished he could go back in time to before the fight. What he would give if only he could go back and do everything all over again!

There was an awkward silence as they waited, a silence that none of them were used to. Each of them was desperately trying to find the right thing to say. But what words were there to say at a time like this? The guilt was weighing down on Legolas's heart so much he thought that if he tried to speak... Even thinking about what he may have just done to his best friend brought tears to his eyes.

_What if Estel is blind for life because of me?_

The thought was too horrible.

Elladan was hardly any better. His overprotective nature combined with his habitual tendency to blame himself for anything that went wrong was eating away at his grief stricken heart. He couldn't imagine what life would be like if Estel was truly blind for life.

_What if that look of hope and joy never reenters his eyes? What if that unique sparkle is gone forever?_

His youngest brother had always been full of life, full of complete and genuine happiness. His career couldn't possibly be ended, cut off before it had ever seriously begun. Estel was a warrior against the dark spawn of Mordor, how could he go on now, never again to wield a sword or draw a bow? Estel—hope—the eternal optimist, could he win against a world of lonely darkness?

Elladan knew his brother well. He knew he would try.

_But in the end can he win?_

The nagging thought haunted him. He couldn't think about that now.

_Estel_ will _see, he has to!_

He wouldn't let himself think about the other possibilities. For now _he_ would have to be an optimist, _he_ would have to be a supporting shoulder for his brother to lean on, and _he_ would have to go on hoping even when darkness was blinding his brother. His heart bled from the gnawing doubt even as he did his best to convince himself that the damage couldn't be permanent.

Questions were all the three of them had at the moment. Questions continued to bombard them, but no answers came to relieve their worried minds.

Aragorn was also groping for the right words. The more he tried to think of something to say, the more the words seemed to stick in his throat. Fear was competing for his attention, threatening to overpower him. Fear of his own condition, fear of not even being able to tell the expressions on his companions faces, and most of all a fear of what his father's final verdict would be. This was a dream, he kept telling himself over and over, a dream. Any moment he would wake up and the veil would be lifted, this darkness couldn't actually be his vision, could it? The shades must be drawn, or maybe a storm was passing over, or... or maybe he was blind? His heart sunk, his denial of reality waning. There was no other explanation, no other excuse for him to go on pretending.

Once again the urge to say something welled up in him.

_Elladan in particular must be feeling horrible_, he thought. Aragorn knew well his older brother's self-condemning nature. Legolas, he thought, would look at things in a more sensible light. He would surely understand that none of this could in any way be his fault. Still, he knew his friend would be nearly as worried as he was himself and he wished with all his heart he had the right words to comfort them both.

Before any of them had the chance to organize their raging thoughts, they heard soft footfalls coming down the hallway.

Already Aragorn's other senses had become heightened, his hearing in particular. He heard the door open and two pairs of light, elven footsteps softly coming toward him. Elves can, of course, be noiseless if they wish to, and most of the time are, but this time the perpetrators of the noise obviously had more important things on their minds.

Aragorn felt a hand on his shoulder and sensed Elrond's presence.

"Ada?" he asked quietly.

"Yes ion-nín (_my son_), it is I, and Elrohir is with me as well." Elrond looked into the unseeing pair of silver eyes before him, "Close your eyes Estel, that's it. Now keep them closed for a minute." he felt Estel's head, looking carefully at the side of his head were Legolas had hit him. There wasn't so much as a bruise. "Relax for a moment, think of other things. Relax," Elrond repeated in a soft tone. "rest."

He felt the tenseness leave Aragorn as he continued to check him over, he massaged his shoulders and helped him lean his back against the wall. Legolas and the twins looked on in anxious anticipation.

"Slowly open your eyes again." the elf lord gently directed his son.

Doing as he was told, Aragorn opened his eyes. The look of disappointment and pain told plainly that there was no change. Elrond had held a small hope that this only a momentary laps into blindness, though after his close scrutiny he couldn't even see a cause for that.

"You don't appear to have a concussion," said Elrond. "Whatever happened though, I don't think it was Legolas's blow that caused it."

Elrohir looked at his father, "What do you mean?"

"Before going blind this morning, did anything unusual happen?" Elrond asked Estel, ignoring Elrohir's question for the moment.

"Like what?" Aragorn asked in confusion.

"I mean_ anything_, anything out of the ordinary or unusual."

"Yes, I guess there was something strange." the silence encouraged him to go on, "I've been feeling strange all morning."

"When exactly did you start feeling this way?" Elrond pressed him.  
  
"I don't know..."

"Yes you do ion-nín—think! Think hard!"

Aragorn wracked his brain, finally it came to him.

"It was just before breakfast. I had just sat down and I felt a sharp pain in my head, then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. I passed it off as nothing more than the heat."

"Did the pain recur?"

"Yes, a number of times. Except it wasn't always just a headache, I kept feeling sick and dizzy, often at the same time."

Elrond frowned in deep thought. This wasn't a concussion or a common human sickness, it was something more. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was some evil at work here. He had an idea of what it was, and he could only hope he was wrong.

"Estel, tell me everything you have done this morning, have you eaten or drunk anything that the rest of us have not?"

"At breakfast all the drinks were poured from the same pitchers," Aragorn replied, not fully understanding what Elrond was driving at, "and the same platters of food were served to all."

"Think back, there was nothing you had _before_ breakfast?" Elrond asked intently.

Aragorn began to shake his head, but then he paused.

"Wait—I did have something to drink. Before breakfast Legolas and I were going up to see if Elladan and Elrohir were awake yet, and Moranuen met us on our way and told me that you wished to speak to me. I went and talked to you and then came back. In the hall I ran into Eglaer, carrying two glasses of lemonade. He said Celboril had sent them up for Elladan and Elrohir, and since I was going to see then anyways, I offered to take the drinks for him. You told me not to wake them if they were still asleep as they'd had a long night, but I was hoping they would be awake by then. I took the two glasses and went into Elladan's room, where Legolas was waiting for me." He hesitated, "They were both still asleep and, well, since the weather has been so hot and I knew the lemonade would spoil before they could drink it..."

"So you drank one glass?" asked Elrond, his intensity growing.

"I handed one glass to Legolas, and drank the other myself."

"Legolas," Elrond's voice held hidden alarm, "did you drink as well?"

"No. Just then the bell rang for breakfast, and I didn't have the time."

Elrond's expression eased somewhat but the concern he felt for his youngest son still radiated from him.

"What is it?" Elrohir asked.

"I'm not sure."

"But," Elladan prodded, "you do have a good idea."

Elrond smiled sadly. He did have an idea. His healer's instincts were screaming at him, and he knew what had to be wrong with Estel.

"Saew.(_poison_)" was all he said in explanation.

A million thoughts whirled through their heads. One in particular was on the tip of their tongues but they could hardly bring themselves to ask it: Was there an antidote?

They were all startled as a light and cheerful voice from the doorway clashed oddly with their anxious thoughts.

"Lord Elrond! I've finally found you. I've been wanting to ask you if -" Celboril broke off in bewilderment as Elladan jumped up to take the two glasses from his hands - one empty, the other full of lemonade. Elrond straitened from his crouched position to take the glasses from his son.

"You got these from Elladan's room?"

Ceboril nodded. Then, catching sight of Aragorn lying on the bed, he became worried.

"Is anything wrong hir-nín?(_my lord_)"

"I'm afraid there is." Ceboril opened his mouth but Elrond continued before he could say anything, "We can not talk of it now. Later my friend, I must hurry now, but I will explain when I can."

Ceboril nodded hesitantly and then left them. Elrond set the empty glass down on the counter, taking the full one, he held it up to the light. The room waited in tense silence as he smelled it. Elrond clenched his jaw.

"It is as I feared."

"Then it _is_ poisoned?" Legolas asked.

"Yes. It's called Tarmal." Elrond handed the glass to Elladan, "Smell it. It has a sharp, sweet smell. Whoever put it in knew what he was doing, lemonade is the perfect candidate to hide this kind of poison. Unless you know poisons well, Tarmal could easily escape detection mixed with something that smells so similar. When you first put Tarmal into liquid you can't smell it or taste it at all. Obviously the person who did this was expecting it to be drunk before it was in the glass for more than an hour. After an hour, especially when the liquid becomes warm, it begins to smell. The taste may be a little strange as well. I've seen it's effect on elves, but not on humans." he sighed, "I never expected Estel to be the one I saw the results on."

"You say that you have seen it's effect on elves? Is there an antidote?"

"I have, and there is. Tarmal would kill an elf within minutes unless the antidote was given right away. I don't exactly know how it affects humans, but I'm not about to wait and find out. Thankfully, the antidote is not terribly difficult to make. I will have it ready in a few minutes."

Turning his back on them, Elrond had already begun to mix the herbs for the antidote as he spoke. Legolas and the twins sat down to wait. Abruptly Aragorn gasped and clutched his stomach. All three of them were back on their feet in an instant, helping him to lay down.

"Hurry Ada!" Elrohir called, watching helplessly as his brother's face contorted in pain.

Elrond quickly ground a few more herbs and added them to the mixture. Picking up the glass, he walked to the side of the bed as the three younger elves made room for him. He lifted Aragorn's head and let the liquid glide down his throat. It took a minute, but soon the furrows of pain on Aragorn's face smoothed out. Taking his hand away from his chest, Aragorn opened his eyes. Elladan leaned over him searching the silver eyes nervously for any signs of recognition.

"Elladan?" Aragorn asked weakly.

Elladan almost cried from relief.

"You can see me?!"

Aragorn moaned and attempted to sit up.

"No, I can't see you. I just somehow... I don't know! I just felt it was you." he smiled faintly, "Please El, you're sitting on my arm."

Elladan shifted his weight quickly, flushing with embarrassment.

"Come you three," Elrond motioned them from their seats, "it's time Estel had his tea, he needs to rest."

"Shall I stay to get him to take it?" Legolas inquired helpfully.

"Don't worry mellon-nín, I'll take it without your help." Aragorn called from the bed,. "I know your methods." just as Elrond opened his mouth to banish them Aragorn continued, "But please Ada, let them stay." Elrond nodded and started to prepare the tea, sprinkling a generous amount of sleep inducing herbs into a steaming cup of water. True to his word, Aragorn drank it down without a fuss and soon was fast asleep.

"Will he ever see again, Ada?" Elrohir asked in a whisper.

"I have no way to tell whether the damage is permanent or not. We must pray hard to Ilúlvatar that it is not." the three younger elves looked down at the floor, "Do not give in to despair. All is not as lost as it seems. If there is a way to restore his sight I will find it."

Looking down at the form of the sleeping ranger, Elrond made a promise to his sleeping son—and to himself.

_Even if I have to search all a Middle Earth and Valinor, I will find a way to heal you._

He lifted up a silent prayer to Ilúlvatar. Now, if only he could fulfill that promise.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A figure hovered outside the doorway, watching every movement within. As the human's eyes closed in sleep and the other elves settled into their chairs the figure stealthily moved backwards away from the door. He glanced nervously around as he crept back down the hall, black cape flowing behind him.

**

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****To Be Continued... **

**Ah, yes, the mystery lurker makes a second appearance... And we still don't know who he (or she) is: ) You'll be finding out pretty soon, though not in the next chapter, I'm afraid. The next chapter is titled "Pain and Remorse". Yes. It really is. I'm sure. I checked. Several times. Hehe, if I'm really careful, I may be able to spare my head lots of pain in the upcoming chapter. Maybe. Knowing me, it's not likely, but we can always hope, right? **

**Reviewer responses:**

**Drylith: **I'm so sorry I missed you on the last chapter! Your review must have come in just after I posted. But thanks for the kind words! I hope this chapter helped keep your stress level down... But then, cliffies don't tend to help with stress, do they? (grins) This one wasn't TOO bad, but I'm afraid the next chapter is worse, I think, as far as stress goes : ) Sorry about that. OK, not too sorry (grins evilly). Hope to see you there!

**twilight-la-fae: **Actually...I AM a nerve-wracked computer ghost : ) My friend, Polingly, and I were talking about our upcoming stories, and sympathizing with each other. We both get "first post jitters", and are always terrified about what people will think. We were joking about how we haunted our computers after each post, hoping for some kind reviewer to come along and put some of our fears to rest. Thus was born the SNWCG. At the moment we are the only two members.... but hey, since we started it, she gets to be President, and I'm Vice President, LOL. Kinda cool : ) I can certainly sympathize with you about your muse! I'm ALWAYS getting ideas (at the moment I have about thirteen plot bunnies chasing me), I usually end up writing one chapter, and then suddenly I can't write anymore without great effort – it's so frustrating! I finally forced myself to stick with this plot, and now I'm just working on the very end of it (jumps up and down). Yep, poor Aragorn... I'm terribly cruel to him in this story ; ) And the suspense just gets worse (grins wickedly and reaches for the volume). Anyhow, thank you so much for putting me on your alerts! As a fellow-author, I'm sure you know already that it made my day : ) Now I've got to drag myself away from our delightful little conversation and work on the Epilogue : b

**Bill the Pony2: **I'm sooo happy to hear that you like my story! I hope you liked this chapter too : ) Thanks for reviewing – it means a lot to me!

**sielge: **Yep, poor Aragorn... This is not the last time I'll be saying that in this story : ) Glad you liked the chapter, and thank you so much for the review!

**springfairy: **I'm so glad you like my writing style, and the interaction between Aragorn and Legolas! I'm also glad to see that I'm keeping you excited and wanting more – that is, of course, the goal of every author. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last!

**jacquelinestel: **You are TOO funny! Now I have my very own JE reviews to brighten up my day with a little humor : ) Oh, I can hardly stop laughing! (giggles) That line about Legolas being : "a rare and unusual mix of Sindar and diminutive, dyslexic, green Jedi." that just cracked me up, LOL. My sister and I now have a new JE quote to go around repeating: "Perish the thought." "Can thoughts die?" "Only when I tell them to." (grins). Another brilliant line from Legolas, and an equally...um...dense line from my favorite ranger : ) Ah, it was fun to have the twins for while, too bad they had to leave so quickly, LOL. Awww, poor Legolas... Sand in his hair, now he'll have to wash it. I have past waist-length hair, so I know what a bother that can be : ) My hair takes about five hours to dry : b And, of course, we can't forget poor Estel with sand in his boots : ) Don't worry about not being able to post stories quickly, a lot of people have trouble with that. At least YOU are a wonderful reviewer : ) Actually, I knew I wouldn't be able to get up new chapters quickly either, that's why I decided to finish it before I started posting. It can be REALLY hard to keep writing for such a long time without the encouragment of reivews! But in the end it makes it less painful for everyone, LOL."Authentic" is not a common adjective used to describe cliffies, but I'm glad you like them, because most of my chapters in this story end in cliff-hangers. I hope "authentic" is still your word of choice by the end of this story (grins). Oh, I'm so relieved that you don't think I was too pushy. It certainly was NEVER my intention! Thanks so much for the fun review! And have a nice time in...um... "Hawaii" : )

**Isadora2: **Thank you, thank you, thank you! It was wonderful to get such an encouraging review from you! Glad this post was soon enough for you : ) I LOVE dialogue, so I'm really glad that you think it sounds good. I realize (and have realized for some time) that I am not Tolkien, and am never likely to write like him. So I've tried very hard to avoid the "teenage girl making pitiful attempts to write Shakespearian English and sounding terribly strained" syndrome. But I've also tried to avoid using modern words or phrases (something which I've found terribly distracting in my own reading), and have found, sort of, a middle ground. Wow! I really never would have guessed that English wasn't your first language! You write it much better than most native English speakers, in my opinion : ) Yes, Aragorn and Legolas ARE cooperating well with me, and staying IN character thus far. I hope they will continue to do so for the rest of the story ; ) Good, I'm glad you think the story is interesting too. Imbecamiel and I spent many hours discussing the plot. I let my imagination fly, and she made sure it stayed within the realms of logic, LOL. I'm glad you like what I've done with the POV. It will be switching around a little more later on in the story, but I've tried to stick with one POV within a scene. (blushes bright red) You think I'm mature? It seemed to me the only appropriate response when people were only trying to help me express myself better and avoid offending others. Of _course_ it's always hard for anyone to heare that they've done something wrong, but becoming defensive or getting mad at the people helping you never solved any problem : )As one of our church leaders said only last Sunday, things like this "can either be a mistake, or an opportunity for growth". At least by choosing to grow, I can prove to people right from the first that I really am serious when I say that I want constructive criticism : ) Anyways, I'm glad you think I responded well. And I really wasn't offended at all by your referring to my age. Actually, it's quite reassuring for me to remember that I have plenty of time to gain writing experience, and I don't need to expect myself to write like Cassia and Sio right from the start : ) And I don't think you're a "grumpy European" at all. I think you're very helpful. Thank you SOOOO much for saying such kind things!

**Mornflower: **Heehee, I want to see your dad's reaction too! This might be interesting if you don't get used to cliffies soon, I've worked hard, and finally managed to end almost every chapter in this story on a cliffie. I may yet get see your dad's reaction to you running around in circles, clucking like a chicken, LOL. I love your dialogues between Aragorn and Legolas (I often read your reviews for Linuvial Greenleaf, and laughed a lot : ) I'm just ecstatic to see so many reviews that I have seen (and read) from LG's stories! I hope this post is soon enough to save your sanity. Though, if this is a sane Mornflower, an insane one might be REALLY fun to watch (grins). BTW, pretty name : )

**viggomaniac: **Oh, I've been doing more than "hinting" about making Aragorn's life miserable, I've been down right stating it as fact! Yes, that is one spoiler I'll give you : ) Great to know I've picked up an "Aragorn angst lover". I really would NEVER have guessed from looking at your name...LOL. A demented reviewer – YES! I LOVE demented people! In fact, I have been referred to as demented myself, on a occasion or two...or three... Can't imagine why, though : ) Yes, I'll definitely be drawing this out long enough for all to enjoy it. That is, if you call 24 chapters plus Epilogue "drawing it out". As for who you should suspect and whether or not people are going to play major parts... Do you really expect me to tell you all that? No? I thought as much... : ) I'm glad you like blind Estel, though I doubt he's enjoying it much. And being the evil author that I am, he'll be enjoying it even less soon (evil laughter). Thank you VERY, VERY much for pointing out the spelling mistakes I made! I'm afraid that I won't be able to correct this story as I go along, but I'll certainly keep them in mind for future chapters. Now... I'll just be off to kill my editor – wait! If I did that, it would be rather difficult for her finish editing the rest of this story, wouldn't it...Rather : ) Besides, since she is my sister, my parents might jump to the rather ridiculous conclusion that writing fanfiction is not good for sibling relationships. Parents tend to be kind of strange that way...LOL. Thank you so very, very much for reviewing!

**Cassia: **Well, you found out somewhat more of what's happening in this chapter, though I'm afraid I've raised about as many questions as I answered : ) I DID after all learn to write cliffies from reading YOUR stories – so it's all your fault, you see (grins innocently). Oh, don't worry at all about not being able to review every chapter. I know how busy you are, so I'll be happy with whatever you have time for : ) Just knowing you're reading my story is very encouraging. Besides, I couldn't possibly have my story be taking precious time away from your work on DBD! My sister would kill me, as would all your other fans I'm sure, if they could find me, LOL. I'm rather fond of life at the moment...

**Naesse: **You definitely come to the right place for tons of Aragorn! My favorite kind of fanfiction, both to read an to write, includes LOTS of Aragorn angst. So you'll get your fill : ) I'll try very hard to update frequently, so you waiting too long. Thank you sooo much for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Cookie: **I hope this update was soon enough for you : ) Thank you SO much for the kind words. I have worked very hard to keep all of them in character, and they seem to have cooperated very nicely - so far, at least : ) Thank you so much for taking the time to review, I REALLY appreciate it!

**Opaleye: **Actually, most of these beginning chapters are shorter than my later chapters, but I'm glad that it SEEMED long to you : ) I was kind of agonizing over how short some of my chapters were, so I'm relived that you didn't find it too disappointing! I'm glad you like my style too, and that the way I did the poison seemed natural to you. Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm afraid that if this keeps up much longer, I'll become an incurable addict. Ah, who do I think I'm kidding – I already AM addicted to reviews! Thanks again, you are such and encouragement : )

**Patty: **Well, I do have two siblings... I don't know how it is everywhere, but around here it's not altogether unknown for two to gang up on one (grins). All in good fun, of course : ) And we all three frequently gang up on my dad, too! Though, now that we've got older, and can beat him, he doesn't take us _all_ on quite so frequently : ) Besides, who said that they have to follow all the common rules of sibling relationships? In my opionion, none of them have ever been quite what I would call "common" : ) But I can see how it could difficult for someone who has never had siblings to comprehend how three against one in a scuffle could be considered "all in good fun" , LOL. As for Legolas' feeling guilty... That is _exactly_ the train of thought that my mind took, as you will see in upcoming chapters. I just _couldn't_ pass up the chance to make Legolas feel horrible about something that was no fault of his own! (grins wickedly) Yes, I do know that I'm a nasty author : ) But that is one of the requirments for writning good angst fiction - isn't it? Yes, I'm sure it must be! (grabs "Official Angst Writers' Manual' and start flipping through) Ah, here it is, page #985,673,713: "...therefore we have deemed it nessesary to require that all good angst writers must be evil, malicious, nasty..."(drones on) Does anyone actually read all this? Anyways, I know I'm rambling : b Sorry... Thanks so very, very, VERY, much for reviewing - and I have every intention of keeping the cliffies coming : )

**A special thanks to: twilight-la-fae, Hanyou-demoness, Deana, Lady Leeanne, jaquelinestel, Mornflower, Kathira, xinnia, and viggomaniac, for adding me to their author alerts! Thanks also to: polingly, Lord Elrond of Hogwarts, and secondstar2theright, for adding me earlier to your author alerts before I even started this story. I'm sorry I didn't thank you earlier. Me and my forgetfulness : b **

**Once more you all overwhelmed me with your WONDERFUL reviews! Thank you all so much! I hope to have the next chapter out on Friday or Saturday.**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and co-founder of the SNWCG**


	4. Pain and Remorse

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**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **First of all I would like to apologize for... um... Hey, what do you know, I don't think I have anything to apologize for this time! Look! I even got the chapter title right! Yay Nefhiriel! (gives herself an enthusiastic round of applause, then gradually stops as she realizes she's the only one cheering) Hmm, I guess they aren't all that impressed... Oh well, my head is very happy – no more wall-banging this time! I'm so proud of myself!(glances around to see everyone still giving her unimpressed looks) Hey, be easy on me, it's my first time writing an AUTHOR'S note! (still no response) Ok then, lets just be moving on, shall we? 

Here's the one of the very few non-cliffies in this entire story! (my sister/editor made me do some 'character reaction' : ) So enjoy it while it lasts! It's short and (hopefully) sweet : )

See first chapter for disclaimers. Review responses at the end of the chapter.

_- Dedicated to Pippin. (hehe not _the_ Pippin, Pippin the parakeet... ) He's the most narcissistic little bird I've ever seen, but I love him all the same. Also dedicated to Baby: the bird who taught me just how affectionate a little bird (with a brain the size of pea) could be. - _

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"True friends not only protect you from others when something goes bad, but from yourself when you try to take blame." 

- Unknown

**Chapter 4: Pain and Remorse**

As Aragorn slept on, hour after hour, and the twins grew restless sitting there with nothing to do but think about the attempted murder. It was already a couple of hours past noon when Legolas grew tired of watching the two of them pace.

"Why don't you two go 'investigate' a little." he said with an infuriatingly amused smile, "You 'elflings' had better go put some of that energy to use."

They gave him a sour look, but headed out the door anyways. Peace and silence reigned, only broken by the reassuring sounds of Aragorn's even breathing. Legolas looked back to the sleeping form of his friend.

Unnecessary guilt has a way of seeping into the wisest and noblest of hearts. Often it's guilt for things that they only _think_ they could have prevented—if they had only tried a little harder! Even though Legolas had been cleared by Lord Elrond he still felt somehow to blame, somehow responsible. Logic was the last thing he was thinking of at the moment.

More time passed and Legolas dozed off for minutes at a time, more from boredom than anything else. He always managed to jerk himself back before too much time had elapsed. Pacing the room to keep himself alert, he watched for any signs that Aragorn was regaining consciousness. Elrond checked in a few times but Aragorn continued to sleep on.

Night began to descend and the twins returned, sinking wearily into their chairs.

"We've gone all over Rivendell without finding a clue." Elladan sighed dejectedly, "You could go get some sleep, we can watch for awhile."

"I've been sitting all day and I've already gotten some sleep." Legolas saw Elrohir's head was beginning to fall forward. "Go get some rest, both of you."

"But you've been here all day." said Elladan, "You're sure you don't want a break?"

"I'm alright, you two are the ones who look ready to drop."

Elrohir valiantly helped his brother with the weak resistance.

"We could watch for at least a couple of hours Legolas."

"Are you two waiting for me to carry you to your rooms?" Legolas threatened.

Elladan smiled through a yawn and helped Elrohir stand up.

"Very well, have it your way. Just be sure to get us if he wakes."

With one last lingering look at their brother, Elladan and Elrohir retreated to their beds. Legolas shook his head in disbelief as the two figures withdrew through the doorway. They must have been _really_ tired to give in that easily, why that argument hadn't lasted more than a minute!

He settled back into his chair.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Legolas found himself dozing again. Feeling the sunlight on his face, he groaned, realizing he must have been asleep for hours and that it was now morning. Forcing his eyes to focus on the face of the ranger, he was startled to see that Aragorn was trying to sit up.

"I wouldn't try getting up just yet if I were you." the smile in his voice was easily apparent.

"After all these years mellon_-_nín," Aragorn instantly recognized his voice, "you still have no faith in my ability to heal overnight?"

"You may be well enough to get out of bed, I have seen your amazing ability to heal many times. My worry is that you may not be entirely fit enough to take on a furious Lord Elrond _and_ two, seething young elven lords at the same time."

Aragon lay back down.

"_There_ you do have a point."

"You should've started admitting I was right a long time ago, it would have saved you _so_ much trouble..." Legolas teased his friend with a wicked grin. "And now, while you're still in this amiable mood, why don't I get your tea?"

Legolas poured hot water over a cup full of herbs that Elrond had left with him and advanced.

"I did _not_ say that you were right!" Aragorn protested, scooting away from the proffered cup. "I merely said that you had a point!"

"Now Estel, we can do this the easy way, or I can drag you out onto the balcony for all of Rivendell to see, and force it down your throat—your choice." he came a step closer. "It's not even like it's going to put you to sleep, it's just another dose of the antidote, no sleeping herbs. Quit acting like a child."

"I can hardly believe you'd do such a thing, a quiet elf like you, make such a scene. I'd like to see you try." Aragorn crossed his arms.

"Would you now?" Legolas advanced another step and, reaching out, and grabbed his arm, "Well I aim to please."

Aragorn scowled and grudgingly held out his hand for the cup. Swallowing it in two gulps, he grimaced.

"The lemonade tasted a lot better."

Legolas took the cup and set it on the table.

"I can always arrange for you to be poisoned again, you have but to ask." Legolas retorted with a laugh.

"How generous of you." his mouth quirked into a smile.

Aragorn turned his head so that the sun fell across his face. His eyes opened, only to be met with darkness. He did his best to hide the flicker of pain, but in spite of his efforts a small sigh escaped him.

All the mirth was drained from Legolas' face, he looked at the floor, out the window, anywhere but at his friend. Then he realized how ridiculous his actions were, Aragorn couldn't see him anyway.

"Legolas, Is something wrong?" Aragorn's words almost made him jump.

"No nothing's wrong. Not unless you stop to consider the fact that you're—" he halted, "—blind. And it's because of me, I—"

"Wait a minute, slow down! What do you mean 'because of you'? Weren't you listening to a word Ada said? I was poisoned! How in Eru's name are you thinking you could have possibly known?"

"Well... Maybe I couldn't have. But I was careless. I should have seen that there was something wrong, I could have forced you to go see Elrond, instead I ended up punching you. If I had been more persistent Elrond could have given you the antidote and all would be well. Now..."

"You know me better than this!" the amount of levity in Aragorn's voice surprised and confused Legolas. "If you hadn't punched me, clumsy human that I am, I would probably have ended up tripping over the carpeting or falling down the stairs and killing myself. I should thank you as the savior of my life!"

Despite himself Legolas chuckled.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would!" Legolas's chuckling grew louder. "Legolas you can't continue to blame yourself like this. Just think, if you were in my place and I was in yours, would you blame me? Would you blame me for not having noticed? Would you have blamed me for punching you accidentally?"

"No, of course I wouldn't. But it's different I..." Legolas stammered and then finally fell silent.

"There's no difference. You know it and I know it, so lets move on, shall we?"

"Very well, I suppose you're right..."

Grinning with satisfaction, Aragorn once more attempted to rise. Legolas rolled his eyes and physically forced him to lay back down.

"Obstinate Human."

"Heartless Elf."

"Just lie back down before Lord Elrond comes in and sees you trying to get out of bed."

Aragorn scowled but quit struggling. He crossed his arms and gave Legolas the best glare he could conjure without being able to see him.

"Now I suppose you expect me to call you 'scary Human' ?"

Aragorn's scowl deepened.

"It's not working Estel. It may have a threatening effect on orcs and other brainless creatures, but the rest of us have already learned that you're all bark and no bite. Now, you really should be resting." He patted the covers and continued in his most condescending voice, "Oh, look at you, sitting up in bed! It already taking it's toll on you—you look simply awful!"

"Very funny your Highness." Aragorn said in a completely deadpan tone of voice. "Your jokes at the expense of a sick human are most amusing."

"Jokes?"

"Just you wait until Ada lets me get out of bed, I'll make you regret this!"

"Estel, you say that every time..." Legolas said, sighing unconcernedly.

"Well, _this_ time I'll get Elladan and Elrohir to help me."

"Oh, _now_ I'm frightened."

"And well you should be! The wrath of the twins is not something to be taken lightly!"

"Of _course_ not, mellon-nin."

There were a few minutes of silence. Then, becoming grave once more, and remembering where this conversation had started, Legolas said quietly, "Hannon le, mellon-nín. I wasn't thinking rationally."(thank you, my friend)

"We all do it at times." Aragorn smiled impishly, knowing the result his next words would have. "Habits die hard, and elves can be so stubborn at times..."

"What do you mean _elves_ can be so stubborn?" Mora spoke up from the doorway, he strode over to glare at the ranger.

"Mora? Is that you?"

Aragorn's unfocused eyes baffled Moranuen.

"Of course it's me! Who else would it be?" the looks on his friends' faces instantly made him regret his words. "What's wrong? Ceboril said that something was wrong with you, Estel, but he didn't know what. What's happened?"

"I'm blind." Aragorn said matter-of-factly.

Mora's face was anything but matter-of-fact. He just stood there, desperately wanting to say something, but not having any idea what he could say. He managed a weak:

"How?"

"No one knows why or how exactly, but the short and long of it is that there was poison in a glass of lemonade I drank." said Aragorn.

When words finally came, they gushed out in a sincere flow of remorse.

"Estel, I am so, so sorry... What does Lord Elrond say?"

"He's not sure whether it's permanent or not."

Aragorn was relieved not hear any pity in his friend's voice, his words were kind, supportive, the words of a friend who was truly sorry and wished only to help.

Mora's next words were strong and determined.

"You know your friends are with you Aragorn, we'll do anything we can."

"Iston mellon-nín, iston." I know, my friend, I know He spoke with all his heart, thanking Ilúlvatar for such friends. "Hannon le."

A few uneasy moments passed before the silence was broken by Mora.

"Oh, I had nearly forgotten. Celboril asked me to see if you if you wanted anything brought up."

"I, for one, am starving." Aragorn made an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You're always starving—human." Legolas laughed.

"I'll tell Ceboril then."

Mora slipped from the room and, with heavy heart, returned to tell Ceboril the news.

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**To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**sielge: **Cliffies certainly get your heart beating, don't they? Sometimes they're fun, and sometimes they're just maddening! I must admit, I love to drive people crazy with them more than I like to read them myself : ) Well, I'm afraid _this _chapter really wasn't a cliff-hanger, but I promise to give you some more later : ) As for Aragorn... You'll just have to wait and see what happens to him (grins evilly). I hope that this update was soon enough, and thank you so much for your review!

**polingly: **(points proudly at chapter title, smiling ridiculously) YES! LOOK Polly, it really IS titled "Pain and Remorse"! I'm sooo proud of myself! (grin) Yes, I really am a dramatic person. Actually that's why I couldn't resist the urge to draw Aragorn's poisoning out to a more theatrical climax : ) Glad you like how I did it. As for Legolas knowing that it wasn't his fault...As you saw in this chapter, he's not always QUITE as logical as that, LOL. I'll give you one spoiler (sort of). You'll find out about "Mr. creepy guy in the black cape" in the next chapter (yes I know, you can cheer now : ). Ah, the suspense mounts... I think I'll enjoy seeing all of your reactions to his identity, this should be interesting (grins). How I love to make people curious. Of course, I probably give away too much of the story in the process...Ah well (shrugs). Thank you for the review! And yes, we computer ghosts must stick together! : )

**Lady Leeanne: **Ooo, you got yourself a concrete wall! Good thinking! A word from an experienced wall-banger: you might want to get a _little_ padding over that concrete. You can cause serious damage with repeated banging, and people tend to ask questions when they find you lying on the floor, out cold : ) About that "sneaky guy in black", you might want to figure out who he is BEFORE you "introduce him to your pitchfork" or try any other ways of making his life miserable. It can be really hard to find people, much less do them any harm, if you don't know who they are (or even have a description of him other than the fact that he wears a black cape!)... It could be ANYONE! Though, if you do ever find him, I have no doubt that he would DEFINITLY think at LEAST twice before trying to do anything villainous again : ) You can be quite terrifying with the dreaded cravat and pitchfork of doom! Oh, and we mustn't forget the terrible tacks! Oh, and Polly just told me about the "SYHO&BYBOS or AAA" HA! That's soooo funny! What's the membership fee? An extra big box of Kleenex? Almost makes me with I had allergies! (hey, I said ALMOST : ) My brother and mother both have bad allergies, so I can guess at how miserable they are - you have my sympathy ; ) Polly told me that you have flat feet? Hey, I do too! Maybe we could start a new society? (giggles) Any ides for the name? : )Thanks so much for reviewing! You and Polly are so fun to talk to! And it's amazing how much we have in common.

**Isadora2: **Hallo, Isadora - guten tag! OK, I just used up about half my German vocabulary... Ah, but I can thank you for your wonderful review – danke! Sadly, I'm not very gifted as far as languages go : b Which makes me appreciate your flexibility to speak with me in my own language even more : ) It's kind of sad, really, that I don't know more German, considering the fact that I'm nearly half German myself. Someday I would love to visit Germany. Who knows, my family loves to travel, and we may decide to go to Europe and visit our countries of origin. That would include Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and who knows what all else : ) Actually, I have so many "countries of origin" that I'm not really sure what all of them are, LOL. If we do visit Germany, we'll have to make sure to visit Cologne! (blushes) There are so many kind complements in here, I'm not sure where to start : ) Yes, I really do like laughing at myself. At least then I know people will be laughing _with _me instead of _at_ me, LOL. I suppose I do have a rather ironic sense of humor, though I've never really thought about it before. (grin) I'm very happy to hear that I'm still understandable : ) As for there really being life after 30... I can easily believe you! After all, my mother didn't even meet - much less marry – my dad until she was 30 : ) (grin) Yes, Imbecamiel and I did spend a CONSIDERABLE amount of time working on the plot! We share a room, so night time has become our time to develop and discuss plot points and possible ideas. I'm glad that the story is coherent. There were a few times when I was writing it that I confused _myself_ so badly I was afraid I'd never get it straightened out : ) I'm also glad the shifting POV in the last chapter wasn't confusing. Thanks again for reviewing – your reviews mean so much to me! Auf wiedersehen! (Now I'm SERIOUSLY depleting my German vocabulary! I guess I'd better go before I run out of things to say entirely : )

**Naesse: **(grins) Yes, Aragorn is definitely the best! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**twilight-la-fae: **Hmm, it seems everyone wants to know who the mystery guy is, I wonder why that would be... (grins innocently) Actually, you'll be finding out who he is in the next chapter, so if you think I'm going to be giving you any more clues, you are _quite_ mistaken : ) Ah, I know all about orthodontists. Heehee more than one person has claimed that our orthodontist got her training in a medieval torture chamber : ) I just finally got my braces off a few months ago, so I've been immensely enjoying my freedom. Of course, there are still the permanent retainers, but they're not _nearly_ as bad as braces! As for Arwen... I'm personally not a very big Arwen fan, so (for the time being at least) I'm kind of ignoring the fact of her existence. Apologies to all Arwen fans, but I'm afraid I just don't have the inspiration to write her at this time. Who knows? I may write her some time, but I don't see it happening in the near future.

**viggomaniac**: Have someone attack the poor defenseless ranger? ME? I'm afraid you MUST have mistaken me for some evil angst-loving author (attempts to grin evilly and at the same time innocently, with VERY interesting results). Glad there weren't any terribly glaring errors in the last chapter as far as spelling etc. goes. I'm not a stickler for things like grammar and punctuation, but I'm used to my sister/editor going around lecturing me on things like that, so go ahead and be a second sister to me : ) Really, go ahead, rant all you want! I promise not to be offended : ) One question: have you read "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"? It's a punctuation book that I think you would really like. I've started reading it, and it's very helpful (and extremely funny : ) Ah, evil am I? Well, my sister says it's always a good sign when people (at least in the fanfiction world : ) call you evil and start sending you death threats, so I guess I'm not doing too badly. I see you've got yourself an "Official Angst Writers' Manual" of your own! It's definitely a must-have. Besides, it can get you out of so much trouble! All you have to do is point to the book and tell people "I HAD to! It's in the rules!" : ) I'm glad you thought that everyone's reactions to Aragorn's blindness were realistic. I worked really hard to try to keep things as realistic as possible in this story, so I'm happy to see it's working out. I'll be happy to fill your prescription for "Ranger Danger" and overall Aragorn angst : ) Thanks for reviewing and, as always, hope to see you in the next chapter!

**Drylith: **The stress... Well, I hope this chapter helped with that aforementioned problem : ) As for the mysterious lurker, I'm glad I've got you (and everyone else!) wondering. That _is _the point of mystery, LOL. Convoluted? Me, make a story convoluted? Naww... (grins) I confess, at times during this I got myself confused. VERY confused : ) Hopefully I've straightened everything out alright, so it'll make sense : b That's great that you'll have lots of time to read! So many are busy at this time of year, that I was worried that few would have time to read my story - much less tell me their opinion! Thank you very much for reviewing!

**Racer38: **Hurrah! Another new name – thank you for visiting me on my little corner of : ) I'm so glad you like my story! I'll try and keep on updating at least once a week (if not more often), and hopefully keep you satisfied (grins). Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the sending me a review – it is VERY encouraging!

**Deana: **Thank God indeed! I'm sure they're all VERY grateful for that as well. Though, right now I'm afraid they're too busy worrying over Aragorn to consider how much worse it could have been. Thank you so much for the review!

**elvingirl3737: **First of all, thank you for going back and reviewing "Sleep Now, Tithen Muindor"! I was REALLY excited to get a review on a story that hasn't really gotten any attention in quite awhile – it's good to know that someone has gone back and read it! And I'm so glad you found this story, too : ) Oh, you like to see our poor little Estel in trouble?! (gasps in disbelief) I don't know ANYONE else like that! (attempts to look as innocent as possible) OK, so about half of my reviewers so far have blatantly stated that they hope I plan on lots of "Aragorn angst" in this story... Well, I'll tell you what I told them: I'll have plenty for all!!! There's lots more to come : ) Anyways glad you liked what you read, and that you thought I did the character interactions well. Thanks again for reviewing!

**springfairy: **Your review couldn't have come at a more perfect time! My day was REALLY getting to me! (makes face) I've been sooo busy and have had lots of really hard work to do : b Your review was EXACTLY what I needed to pick me back up, and give me the energy to go on – thank you so, so much!

**Special thanks to: Lolanthe, Galadryal, elvingirl3737, KAT15 and Katriena for adding me to their author alerts! Also, thanks to matrixelf for puting me on her favorite authors list! **

**I (hopefully) will get the next chapter, "Innocence or Guilt" (REALLY : ), up on Wednesday. **

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and co-founder of the SNWCG**


	5. Innocence or Guilt

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**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N:** Yes, I know I said I'd have this up on Wednesday, but you've all been so nice to me that I decided to post a day early : )Maybe I should apologize for not posting when I said I would... but somehow I doubt any of you will mind TOO much, LOL. I hope it's not too painful, anyways! So, this week I will not be needing to write an apologetic note! Incredible: yet another AUTHOR'S note! If I'm not careful, this could get to be a habit... My brain is VERY happy about its recent reprieve from wall-banging, though. Ever since I stopped, it's been giving me all kinds of lovely plot bunnies - and actually helping me write them too! 

Another three word chapter title, I have strange little fetishes... (no wait! my sister's been helping me with chapter titles – WE have strange little fetishes ; )

A nice loooong chapter! (sort of) And you get to find out who the notorious "Creepy Guy in Black" is! Hope you enjoy!

_- Dedicated to my Adar and Naneth – the worlds #1 parents (aren't I lucky?) -_

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****Chapter 5: Innocence or Guilt **

The four companions sprawled lazily in the library. All of them were endeavoring to act casual about the whole situation, but were being met with only minimal success. Ironically, Aragorn seemed the most at ease of them all. He rested his head against the back of his chair and listened to the birds as they sang their morning songs.

Outwardly he looked at peace, inwardly his thoughts were different.

_What if this never ends?_

He knew his family and Legolas would do all in their power to help him and he had every faith in Elrond's healing abilities. Still, his thoughts wavered back and forth. One moment trusting that eventually everything would come out all right, the next wondering if it was foolishness to continue thinking that way.

_Am I setting myself up for the worst disappointment of my life? In the end will they really be able to do anything?_

If that were true, he was beginning to ask himself just how he would be able to go on each day trying to hide his feelings from the others. There were no words that could describe the fear of waking up to pitch blackness and not being able to light a lamp or pull the shades. No words could describe the pain of only being able to feel the sun and never see it.

At the moment, closing his eyes and focusing on his other senses was the only thing keeping him from running and locking himself in his room. For his brothers' sakes and for Elrond and Legolas he kept up his façade of complete control, underneath that façade the swells of fear freely flowed. Or at least they had freely flowed. Although at first his bravery had been a complete act, now he gave his thoughts full range, he listened to them, and began to understand—to admit—that he might be blind forever. And he began to accept that fact. When there's bravery on the outside, no matter how forced, it is rarely completely absent on the inside and Aragorn's mock bravery was hardly a mockery anymore. Maybe it wasn't too much, after all, to say that he was, out of the four of them, the most at peace.

_I must go on, if not for myself, for Ada, Elladan, Elrohir, and for Legolas_.

The voice of his friend cut through his thoughts.

"No matter how hard I think, there's just no reason to any of this! Why would anyone want to kill either of you? True, you can both be a pain in the neck at times, but who would spend so much time and energy—not to mention risk of discovery—just because they wanted to get rid of you two?"

"So you're saying we're not even worth killing?" Elladan asked, glaring at Legolas.

"Don't answer mellon-nín," Aragorn spoke up from his corner, "it's a trick question."

Legolas winked at his friend, and then sadly realized Aragorn couldn't see him.

"Hannon le, Estel, for the warning." He turned serious, "But really, what cause would anyone have to try and poison you?"

"Your guess is as good as anyone's." said Elrohir.

"Why don't we make a list of all the suspects?" Legolas suggested.

"Well, there's Dolenil. Did you see the looks he was giving us?" Aragorn shuddered.

"He has been behaving rather awkwardly..." Elladan added thoughtfully.

"Look," Legolas rolled his eyes, "just because Dolenil hasn't yet mastered diplomacy doesn't mean that he would commit a murder."

"Besides, El," Elrohir joined Legolas in Dolenil's defense, "if a person were automatically blamed for everything bad that happens, just because he's awkward... I'm afraid you would have already been accused of many crimes, and more than likely would already be executed. Just think of that incident when you tripped on the carpet just as Glorfindel and Ada were coming out of the infirmary. That difficult and painstakingly constructed brew they had been working on for the last two hours was splattered all over the walls by a certain clumsy elf who came crashing down right on top of—"

"Are you finished yet,_ muindor_?" brother Elladan asked glaring at his Elrohir, although not seriously upset with his brother—yet.

All of them were glad to see things returning somewhat to their normal state. Elladan would have sacrificed a lot more than his dignity to help Estel. It was embarrassing, but seeing everyone laughing again was ample restitution for the loss of his pride.

"Not nearly! It's hard to say who really got the worst of it," Elrohir held the rapt attention of everyone but Elladan, "Glorfindel got it splattered all over himself, ruining his outfit and turning his arms green. And _Ada_," he shook his head in sympathy, "he got a face full. With the mixture of Caradon and the Pladron weed in that brew they were both stained green for almost a week! And the _smell_...! So you see, if ever an elf were to receive an award for incompetence and gracelessness, Elladan would surely get first prize."

"You can quit boasting about me Elrohir." Elladan remarked dryly, "I feel quite flattered enough already."

"You're sure?" Elrohir offered generously.

"I'm absolutely, without a doubt, completely certain."

"Just remember I'm always here to help raise your self-esteem—that's what brothers are for."

Legolas and Elrohir burst into laughter at the sour face Elladan made. Aragorn didn't need to see the look—it was one that could easily be judged by the others' reactions. Eventually even Elladan succumbed to the infectious laughter.

"Now that you've all had a little fun at my expense..."

"Don't worry Elladan, I know an elf who's even more clumsy than you." Legolas made an attempt to comfort him, "As a matter of fact, I do believe he's one of the clumsiest beings I've ever met..." a fond smile played across Legolas' face.

"An _elf_, the clumsiest being you've ever met?!" Elladan whistled, "This I have got to see."

"But you have to admit, we do have a point: Dolenil can't be blamed for everything simply because he doesn't appear to like any of us." said Elrohir, interrupting Elladan and recalling the conversation to the original subject, "And what motive would he have?"

"The same as anyone else." Legolas sighed, "None at all. At least not that I can think of. There's also Eglaer, he would have had plenty of time to slip the poison into the glasses."

"He had the time, but do you really think he had the heart?" asked Elladan. "Besides, whoever did this was very premeditative and knew exactly what he was doing. Tarmal isn't a weed you just find growing on the roadside. Eglaer is a bright boy, but he's just that—little more than a boy! How in Arda could he know so much about poison? He's been with the rangers ever since he was very young. I highly doubt Taradin has been teaching him the fine art of poisonous plants and their fatal qualities."

"But there's no one else who would have done it!" Elrohir said.

"Obviously there its _someone,_ Elrohir." Aragorn rested his head against the back of his chair, "That seems to be the only thing about this whole situation that we _do_ know. People don't just accidentally slip poison into a glass of lemonade and then walk off thinking, 'Oops. Do you think I should tell anyone?' And like Elladan said, Tarmal is extremely unusual. You don't find it growing just anywhere, someone planned this carefully."

Legolas laughed.

"That would be a big 'Oops'." a mischevious smile played around the corner of his lips, "We do have another suspect."

"Who?" asked Aragorn.

"Why Ceboril of course! He had the time as well as the motive. Wasn't it just a few days ago, Estel, that these two dragged mud in and tracked it all over Ceboril's recently cleaned floors? If that's not a motive for murder, what is?"

Aragorn pretended to consider it seriously.

"Yes, you're absolutely right! I can just picture Ceboril with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, slipping the Tarmal into their glasses. Although, I never thought of him as the poisoning type... No, not Ceboril, you two would just have woken up one morning and found yourselves without your heads—now _that_ would be Ceboril's style!"

They all laughed.

"I agree, poison isn't Ceboril's style at all..." Elladan said, "Must have been someone else. I still think that Dolenil is our prime suspect. We must be careful to an eye on him, I don't want him slipping away before we have all this straightened out."

Aragorn's brows furrowed.

"But did he have the time? It's possible, but is it likely? He would have to be awfully fast. Eglaer is the one most of the evidence points to. I don't want to believe that he could have done this. Taradin trusts him, and I trust Taradin. Still, he could be wrong about Eglaer, as we all could." Aragorn sighed and pulled himself out of his chair, quickly heading for the door.

"Were are you going?" asked Elladan, all three elves rose.

"Only out into the garden for a little while." Aragorn answered.

Elrohir joined Elladan.

"We'll come with you."

"I know you're both concerned, but I'll be fine—really. I've lived here ever since I can remember. I could find my way around with my eyes closed. I'll manage to find the gardens without a guide." Aragorn sounded weary, but not angry. All he wanted at the moment was to escape out from under his brothers' protective gazes, and have some time to think.

He was half-way out the door before Elladan and Elrohir hurried forward to follow.

Legolas immediately placed a hand on each of their shoulders to restrain them.

"Daro!(_stop_)" He whispered fiercely, "Let him be. He needs time to sort out his thoughts, he needs to be alone for awhile. Let him regain his self-confidence, or at least give him enough time to gather his emotions! It's not every day that you go blind and you two aren't helping him any, hanging over him like Crebain ready to descend."

"Are you through yet Naneth?(_mother_)" Elladan grumbled.

"No, I'm not done, ion_-_nín, (_my_ _son_)" Legolas answered in a condescending and authoritative voice, garnering a smirk from the twins. "Come on, I have some more questions for Ceboril."

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In the kitchen, there was no sign of Ceboril. Legolas stuck his head out into the dining area, but turned around when he heard Elladan utter an exclamation of surprise.

"Legolas! Look at this!"

Elladan held up a small, circular brooch. Legolas and Elrohir joined Elladan in staring at the object.

"Where did you find this?" Legolas took the brooch from Elladan, turning it over in his hand.

"I found it on the floor, underneath the ledge of the counter." Elladan indicated the spot with the tip of his boot. "It must have come loose from someone's cloak and then gotten kicked under here."

Elrohir grinned.

"What were you doing lying on the floor?"

"I saw something sparkle and decided to see what it was." Elladan defended himself, "And it was a good thing too, otherwise we would have missed this."

"What's so important about this particular brooch?" interjected Elrohir, "It could be _anyone's_!"

"Not hardly." Legolas spoke up, he studied the brooch and turned it over and over, as if somehow expecting to find the answers to all their questions. "This doesn't look at all familiar to me. I don't think I've ever seen it before in Mirkwood or Rivendell. It's not Eglaer's, that's for sure. You two live here though, have you seen anyone in Rivendell wearing this?"

They both shook their heads.

"Even if we had, Legolas, what does that tell us?" Elrohir gestured exasperatedly, "Right now Rivendell is swarming with people. Just because someone lost a pin in the kitchen doesn't necessarily mean that same person was in the kitchen yesterday slipping poison into our glasses. Whoever lost this could have lost it a week ago for all we know."

"I think I can find out the latest day this could possibly have been left here..." Legolas said vaguely.

"Would you mind letting us in on your thoughts, mellon_-_nín?" Elladan took the pin back.

"If you two geniuses would just use your brains!" Legolas smirked, sighing dramatically."Think about it: how often does Ceboril clean the floors?"

"Just about every day!" Elladan exclaimed excitedly, catching on to what his friend was thinking, "Here, you two go and show this to Ada. I'll find Ceboril and see how long it's been since he last cleaned the kitchen floor. Then I'll join you. Do you think we should go get Aragorn?"

"No, give him some more time." Legolas smiled sadly, "I have a feeling he would only feel clumsy and useless if he tried helping us right now. He needs to get used to being... Well never mind, let's find Lord Elrond."

Legolas and Elrohir found Elrond in his study, pouring over a pile of huge books. It was not hard to guess what he was reading about.

"Ada, Elladan found this under a table in the kitchen where Celboril prepared the drinks." Elrohir began, "He is checking to see how long it's been since Ceboril cleaned that floor so that we'll know how long it's been there." Elrond closed the book he was reading and turned to take the brooch. "Have you ever seen it before?"

They watched as Elrond carefully inspected it.

"I know I've seen this before, and recently at that. Where was it..." He paused thoughtfully, "Ah yes, now I recall. It was on the cloak of one of the younger hunters, his name was Curuar I think. Taradin introduced him to me."

Elladan entered the room.

"Ceboril says that he cleaned it two days ago. I told him about the brooch and he's absolutely certain he would have noticed it if it had been there then. Do you recognize it Ada? Have you seen it before?"

"Yes, I've seen it before, on the cloak of a boy named Curuar."

Elladan clenched his jaw and, despite the serious circumstances, Legolas could hardly keep himself from laughing. The expression on his face—jaw clenched, eyes set and determined—made him look exactly like Elrond. Legolas sobered when he remembered Aragorn. This Curuar was the one responsible for the fact that his friend was now forced to live in darkness, possibly for the rest of his life.

Raising his hand, Elrond halted Elladan from running off to mutilate the young hunter.

"Don't go jumping to conclusions ion_-_nín. Curuar may be innocent. Give him a chance to speak before you accuse him. Murder is not something to be taken lightly. If he has attempted it, he will pay for it. But for now we must assume he is innocent until we're able to prove it one way or the other."

"We have his brooch, doubtlessly left when he was hurriedly leaving after he put the poison into our glasses." Elladan pointed to the pin. "What other proof do we need?!"

"For one thing, a motive would be nice." Elrond was having difficulty not showing his amusement at his son's impetuosity. "And we still can't be sure that he dropped this yesterday afternoon, or even that it was he that dropped it." he continued before Elladan could plunge into another tirade, "I agree that we must summon him, I only ask that you give him a fair hearing. Things look bad for him, but if you were in his place, wouldn't you want a fighting chance? If he is innocent and we accuse him, not looking any further than the obvious, then the real murderer goes free."

Cooling off a little, Elladan nodded.

"I'll have Mora and Glamdil bring him."

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Curuar stood nervously in the middle of the room. Fearfully he sought the faces of the elves that surrounded him. He rested his glance on the most friendly of the four. Elrond returned his gaze, not unkindly, but steadily and searchingly, soon forcing Curuar to drop his gaze to the floor.

"There are some serious accusations against you." Curuar didn't raise his eyes when Elrond began to speak. "Do you recognize this?" he held up the brooch, Curuar got a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and his head shot up.

"Where did you get that?" barely concealed panic laced his voice.

Elrond repeated himself.

"Do you recognize this?"

"It's mine." Curuar swallowed hard, "Please, it was my father's. May I have it back?" he timidly held his hand out, as if he expected it to be cut off any minute. He flinched slightly as Elrond stretched his hand forward, but his eyes opened wide when all he felt was the cold of metal touching his palm.

"Someone placed some poison in two glasses that were on their way to my son's room. It was either placed there by Eglaer, the boy who carried them there, or by someone else while they were left in the kitchen." they could all see the color drain from his face as Elrond talked. "Now that," he indicated the brooch Curuar clutched in his hand. "was found under the same counter the drinks were left sitting on. Ceboril cleaned the floor two days ago, he is sure that wasn't there then." Elrond rose and gently placed his hand on Curuar's shoulder, "What have you to say in defense of yourself?"

The gentleness of the elven lord seem to undo Curuar, for he looked up at Elrond with tears in his eyes.

"He put me up to it! I- I didn't realize," he stammered, "I didn't realize it was poison! If I had known, I never would have done it! I swear, I wouldn't have! I thought he was my friend, this was supposed to be a joke, I never meant to hurt anyone! It didn't actually kill anyone, though, did it? I heard you say Strider will be alright..." he ended meekly.

It was more than Elladan could stand, he stood up and grabbed Curuar by the collar.

"No, no one is dead! At least you didn't manage to kill me or Elrohir like you planned! Oh no, you only blinded my brother!"

"I'm sorry," he choked, fear making him almost unintelligible, "I'm so, so sorry! I never meant for that happen."

"Well, whether you did or didn't—it happened! And you're the one who did it!" Elladan nearly dragged the shorter boy off his feet.

Elrond put his hand on Elladan's shoulder.

"Ion_-_nín." the voice Elrond used stopped Elladan instantly. "Sedho hodo.(_be_ _still_, _be_ _calm_)"

Elladan let go of Curuar's collar. Giving him one last dark look, he stepped back in gesture that seemed to say 'he's all yours, but if you grow tired I'll be happy to maim him for you'. It was a look Elladan did _exceptionally_ well.

With Elladan somewhat under control, Elrond turned back to Curuar.

"Now, tell us."

The words came rushing out, one after another, in a confession that both shocked and angered them. But their anger was not at him, it was reserved for another...

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Glad to be free from the suffocating indoor atmosphere, Aragorn strolled through the gardens. He halted briefly as he came to the spot were he knew the back gate was, smiling again as he thought of the panicked state his brothers would be in if he dared to wander out into the woods. He walked by the gate and commenced to pace the garden paths. No, his brothers had enough to worry about without him playing pranks on them. Besides, when you try to find your way through a woods in the middle of the night, even a woods you knew well can become dangerous. It didn't matter that it was still morning, to Aragorn everything was now eternal night. Aragorn, practiced woodsman though he was, knew better than to attempt something so foolhardy.

He closed his eyes as the wind blew against him, pulling his dark hair back away from his face. Aragorn smiled: the wind. There was something you could feel, hear, even smell. You didn't need eyes to sense the wind. He had never experienced so much pleasure from something as simple as the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of a tree. Suddenly he tensed. That wasn't the sound of rustling leaves, it was the sound of a footfall. Then there was another footfall, closer this time.

And now it was right behind him.

"El?" he asked uncertainly.

No answer.

_If El and El are trying to sneak up on me they're doing an unusually bad job of it. _

"Mellon_-_nín? Is that you Legolas?"

Still no answer. He stiffened as he felt the cold metal of a dagger come to rest under his chin. A voice whispered in his ear, distorted and cruel sounding, but also strangely familiar.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," the voice mockingly added, "—Estel."

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To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**polingly: **Orthodontist...Cruel...Unimaginably heartless cruel...No, I wouldn't wish their "treatment" upon my worst enemy...I can easily see why you'd feel guilt over being the only sibling to escape torture (grins). Poor orthodontist, they're only doing their jobs...But why, pray tell, do they have to do it with such delight on their faces? Hehe - but I'm done with braces! YAYS! No more pain, no more Tylenol, and no more refraining from jaw-breakers : D And yes, I love to heap guilt upon poor Legolas ; ) Making all these characters miserable has become a hobby of sorts for me (laughs evilly). Oooo, I want to hear what your suspicions are! Leeanne already told me hers. Don't tell me you suspect Chauvelin too?! LOL. Well, now you know who the creep is – are you happy? He's not EXACTALLY your prototype villain... I wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of people have already guessed correctly by now as to who's behind all this. I suppose it's embarrassingly obvious to all you intellectual Sherlockians (yes, that is the real word for a Sherlock Holmes fan : ) out there. Oh well, I'm not much of a mystery writer (even though I AM a Sherlockian!) : b I hope my angst/action/adventure writing will be better (bites lip). This mystery at the beginning is only a very small part of the story, actually. And to tell you the truth, I hadn't expected my "creepy guy in the black cape" to attract so much attention! Again, I guess I'm just not seeing my story from a readers' point of view. Oh, I'm so glad that you, and so many others, liked my attempt at humor! I can only pray that you don't get bored with my weird sense of humor as this story progresses... Just ask Imbecamiel, half the story (even during moments that are SUPPOSED to be all sentimental and emotional) seems to have become filled with my wackiness.(a small voice in her head laughes manaically)Well you wrote it, genius! WHO'S wackiness do you expect this story to be filled with?! (sighs) Perfect, now I've got voices talking to me. Hmm, it does have a point though...(smiles) Thanks for the review, gwathel-nín : )

**elvingirl3737: **Oh good, I'm glad that you thought the chapter was sweet. I must admit, I was afraid that most would just find it boring : b As you can see, it's already getting a _lot _more exciting. I'm so glad nobody gave up on me during that rather "dry" spell of writing : ) Yeah, I too like to find stories that way (by looking at other stories by authors I like) – it really works! Imbecamiel says to say thanks for saying thanks, LOL. Thank you for recognizing all the work that she did "behind the scenes". Also, thank you so much for following this story, and for telling me what you think of it!

**sielge: **I'm so glad you liked my non-cliffy : ) Thanks for reviewing!

**Mornflower: **OH NO! YOU LEFT YOUR BAND MUSIC AT SCHOOL?! Boy, sounds traumatic... : ) Being home schooled, I don't know the excruciating pain that comes from leaving at school something so essential to life - and having to wait an entire DAY to retrieve it! Hehe, I loved your response to Legolas: "Calm down you Drama Queen...er King....er Prince" That really had me giggling, LOL. And no, a power outage is NOT the true cause of Estel's blindness : ) Interesting theory though... Thank you, mellon-nín, for sticking with my story, and for both of your lovely reviews!

**naesse: **(blushes bright red) Such wonderful compliments! Thank you so much for continuing to review my story!

**Lady Leeanne: **Oh, mellon-nín...Your review was a positive life-saver! I'm serious! I was having a simply horrible day: up in the attic, packing 12 years worth of stuff into boxes... : b I felt half-dead! And then along came your lovely review to brighten up my day : ) I'm sorry if you're not happy (typing things up twice is such a head-ache!), but - you certainly made my day – so thanks for doing it! And I know what you mean about computers being difficult (like not letting you repeat letters). Sometimes I start to feel like it's really alive and out to get me! But then, sometimes I think that my piano teacher is really a Nazgul in disguise... Hehe, yes, I do have a rather vivid imagination. Chauvelin!? There's a suspect that I hadn't thought of before... But then, "Sneaky Guy in Black" really does sound like a description of our favorite terrorist, LOL. Well, even though he isn't _the _"Sneaky Guy in Black", feel free to make his life miserable. (mutters) Stupid terrorist, putting Percy in prison! (Um, yeah, I still haven't forgiven him for Eldorado...) I guess you can make life miserable for Curuar too, if you still hate him that is. Of course, you'll have to get past his elven guards first... But you're sneaky enough to do that, right? Hehe, the F.F.F.F.F! I like it... ; ) BTW, how bad are your feet? Mine are horribly painful, and often make my back hurt too : b I got arch supports, but they're kind of hard to wear in sandals (sigh). Thank you sooo much for reviewing! (throws all dignity to the wind and huggles Leeanne) Thank you!!!

**Drylith: **I agree with you (as do most LotR fans!) that it's a pity PJ didn't include the twins or the rangers in the films... I do like, though, his addition of elves at Helm's Deep – that was really awesome! I'm so glad you think I'm doing a good job "filling in the gaps"! Ah, we all know how school can be : b Oh, well... Thanks so much for continuing to review!!

**springfairy: **You're my second reviewer (at least that I know of) that's from Germany – does this mean that I get to say I'm an internationally known author? Cool... : ) Oh, and don't worry, your English is EXCELLENT! Really, I admire people, like you, who can use other languages so well – I'm embarrassingly deficient in that area : b My story is one of your _favorite _stories?! Wow! I'm so happy that you liked the way I did all the banter and joking between Legolas, Aragorn and the twins! I know it's a common theme in many stories, so to know that I'm bringing the characters to life in a new and interesting way is highly encouraging! And Mora... Well, I was kind of nervous about attempting him, but I'm glad he's working out too. I have every hope of being able to continue updating every few days, so I hope I'll keep you happy : ) Oh, and don't worry, PLENTY of "Aragorn angst" coming up ; ) As far as I can tell, the desire for that is by no means uncommon, so you can tell your sister that there are LOTS of other people just as insane as you : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**jacquelinestel:** I can just picture "sweet" little Estel and Legolas dancing over your grave : ) Don't worry, I'M happy to have you back (ecstatic in fact!), even if they're not (sticks tongue out at ungrateful characters). They just don't know what's good for them. (thinks a moment) Either that, or they know us authors all too well... Estel, a valet driver? Ooo, do you think there's any chance he'll be hiring out? I'd LOVE to hire him ; ) That's right: "Prince Charming" doesn't "sprint" off into the sunset! Get yourself a CAR Legolas, or better yet - a HORSE! LOL. I just HAVE to comment on one more joke in your review. Estel: "Oh! My head!" JE: "Yes, it's still there." Hehehe...You're such a fun reviewer : ) I'm glad you liked that way I handled Legolas' guilt. He's always so logical about things like that, isn't he? Thanks so much for the humor!

**HarryEstel: **Oh, You are TOO nice to me! It was WONDERFUL to get FOUR reviews from you! Thank you for going back and taking the time to review all of the chapters – it was very encouraging to say the least! And yes, you're right, Aragorn does manage to get himself into more than his fair share of trouble, a fact that everyone loves to point out to him : ) Again, thank you SO much for reviewing!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **Ah, so it's finally decided to let you see the rest of my story - hurrah! I'm so glad you came back and persevered : ) I've started uploading this differently, and it seems to be working, since no one has mentioned having problems. I hope it works! I'm sorry this is such a short answer (got to run!), but I am truly greatful for your review. I promise to be a little more chatty next time : ) Thank you!

**A special thanks to HarryEstel for putting me on her authors alerts!**

**Another cliffy coming up! It's called "Without a Trace". Please review? (pleading look) I've got a REALLY hard week ahead of me, and I could really use the encouragment! And, besides, I'm DYING to know what you think about this chapter in particular...(evil grin) In many ways I consider this chapter the "real" beginning of the story - so let me know your thoughts, whatever they may be! You have all been soooo kind to me, and I appreciate all of your reviews very, very much!!! Thank you all! I hope to have the next chapter up on Friday.**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG, and proud new member of the F.F.F.F.F (winks at Leeanne ; )**


	6. Without a Trace

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **I've been received several complaints about my evilness last chapter. Well, this time I'm NOT apologizing! I'm going to shift the blame! It's not my fault! It's theirs! (points accusingly at Cassia and Sio) Honestly! I didn't even know what a cliffie WAS before I read their stories. Just look at my previous works: all nice, sweet, short and completely cliffie-free stories. Then I got into the MC, and just _look_ what happened! They've created a cliffie addict! So, you see, I can't really be held accountable for my actions, as I was under the influence of the MC at the time. Of course, none of this is to say that I've in any way repented of my past actions. In fact, if anything, I am now more set in my evil ways than ever! 

Anyways, by now, no doubt, most of you have already guessed who is behind all of the trouble. I am the first to admit that I am NO mystery writer (sighs). Oh well, as I've said before, the mystery is only a VERY small part of the story, so you'll not have to put up with my pitiful attempt at the suspenseful : ) 

Here's a nice long chapter (at least for me! : b ) to reward you for your patience with a cliffie-obsessed author : ) 

See first chapter for disclaimer. Reviewer responses at end of chapter. _

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- Dedicated to Cassia and Siobhan, two amazing and inspiring authors. I can only pray I have an ounce of their kind of talent – or their ability to drive people crazy with cliffies : ) -_

**Chapter 6: Without a Trace**

Elrohir's eyes followed Elladan as he paced back and forth. After over a half-hour of questioning the boy, guards had been sent to bring in the 'real' murderer. It turned out Curuar was innocent of any murderous intent, he had merely been an ignorant follower, but it still made Elladan writhe to think how stupid Curuar had to have been. What had he been thinking? When asked to put powder into someone's glass, this 'boy' had done it without a second thought as to what that powder might be? His lack of common sense had blinded his brother and could very easily have killed both him and Elrohir.

It had only been ten minutes, but it felt like hours since the guards had left. Finally Legolas couldn't stand to watch Elladan make one more circuit of the room.

"Let's go out into the garden and find Aragorn." he stood up, "He doesn't know about any of this yet."

Grateful for a distraction, the twins eagerly followed him out into the cool afternoon air. Elrohir looked up at the sky.

"Looks like it's going to rain."

"Good! That should cool things down a little." his brother replied, trying to find something good in a day that, so far, had brought nothing but trouble.

His words proved prophetic, for as they saw the first raindrops hitting the pavement, they could feel the temperature begin to drop. The dark gray sky foreboded a great deal more rain to come. They searched the gardens but there was no sign of Aragorn. The rain began to grow heavier.

"He's probably inside by now." Elladan said, heading for the house as a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

They got inside just as the rain started to pour down in earnest. Not finding him in his own room, the library, or either of the twins' rooms, the three of them split up and began to methodically go over the house. Legolas reached the study where Elrond was still sitting, trying to puzzle through their latest information.

"Lord Elrond, we can't find Estel anywhere!"

Frantically the word spread through Rivendell and every room was thoroughly inspected, but Estel, along with the murderer, had disappeared.

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_Half an hour earlier... _

Aragorn held perfectly still as a second pair of footsteps approached.

"Hurry!" the first voice commanded, "Tie his hands and gag him."

His hands were roughly jerked forward and tightly secured, then a gag was stuffed into his mouth and tied in back. The dagger was removed from his throat and he struggled as he felt himself being dragged towards the gate. Despite his efforts he was soon outside the garden, where he could hear the restless movements of horses. New desperation seized him and he struggled even more determinedly. A well aimed punch to his midsection made him double over and he felt both pairs of hands lifting him up onto the back of a horse. Grasping the horn of the saddle with his bound hands, he steadied himself.

The animal beneath him began to move and he felt a raindrop splash against his face as his captors led him towards the woods.

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Elladan, Legolas, and Elrohir were the first to reach the stables. Each mounting their horses in seconds, grateful that, as elves, they needed neither saddle nor bridle. Glorfindel and Glamdil were just behind them, following swiftly and silently. The rain had ceased for the moment, but the sky was still dangerously dark.

Moranuen had volunteered to accompany them, but Elrond asked him to remain and guard Curuar. Despite the anxiety gnawing at him, Elrond smiled slightly in pity at the mortified look on elf's face. Curuar wasn't much of a charge. Since his crime had been revealed, he had done nothing but sit frozen on a chair in the corner of the room. Mora sunk into his own chair and looked longingly at the door as his friends rode out the back gate.

Elladan and Legolas rode in front, peering down at the footprints they had discovered on their second search of the garden. They were slightly washed out from the short rainfall, but still discernable, leading out through the small gate. They could clearly see Estel's and could guess who at least one of the other pairs of prints belonged to.

The five of them rode quickly in a grim and determined silence. Their worry grew as the storm clouds turned darker and small rain drops again commenced to fall. Soon the only light they had to see the tracks was from the soft glow they themselves emitted. Their panic mounted as the raindrops increased in size and frequency. It grew steadier, and they pulled their hoods forward, but the water still soaked through. That, however, was the least of their concerns. The rain was pouring through the woods, dripping off the trees, and erasing the trail of prints.

Refusing to admit defeat, the twins and Legolas dismounted and scanned the eroding ground for any signs.

"We must turn back!" Glorfindel called, his voice nearly swept away by the wind and rain.

"No! We can't turn back! Not yet!" Legolas called back just as urgently.

Glorfindel closed his eyes and felt the rain run in rivulets down his face. He looked sadly at Glamdil who returned his glance with an equally sorrowful expression. Glamdil hung his head, letting the rain drip off the front of his hood, as he listened to Glorfindel's next words. They were necessary, but that didn't lessen their sting.

"It is hopeless to go on in this weather! We will do Estel no good if we get ourselves lost." he had to raise his voice to be heard. "We _must_ turn back!"

Like three statues, they stood in the downpour, rain soaking through each layer of their clothes. They pulled their hoods back and tried desperately to pierce the sheets of water streaming around them. All they got for their labors was more water, flowing down their hair and faces.

Glorfindel and Glamdil waited patiently. Dejectedly, the three younger elves gave up their fight against the elements and remounted their horses.

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Elrond gazed sadly at the five of them through the window of his study as they reentered Rivendell. His instincts had warned him not to expect such an easy rescue, but nonetheless his heart refused to quit harboring the faint wish. It was Estel himself who had taught him to go against the grain, to believe that the unlikely could happen, to hope for the hopeless cause.

Numbly, the elves went to their rooms to change into dry clothes. Elrond went to the Hall of Fire, where, drawn by a universal need for companionship, his sons and Legolas soon joined him by the fire. Unusually, it was Elrohir who spoke first.

"We've failed him." he said in a hushed voice, choked with misery.

At first no one seemed to have an answer. How could any of them tell him not to say such things when they were all suffering under the same feeling?

"We must not give up." Elrond spoke even more quietly, "Estel wouldn't want us sitting around like this, thinking of reasons we are to blame. I know it may be hard to believe, but none of us is ultimately guilty for this. You did your best. You are the best brothers Estel could have he would tell you that if he could. And you, Legolas, are as good a friend as he could ever wish for."

They heard his words in silence. If they couldn't quite accept them in their hearts, at least they made no outward objections. Silence descended once more in the Hall on Fire, as each elf retreated into his own thoughts and fears.

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It had probably been almost two hours, but Aragorn couldn't tell for sure. He had given up the fruitless quest of trying to remember which ways the horse turned. They must have changed directions a couple dozen times. One of the men had removed the gag and untied his arms after about an hour of riding. Deciding, apparently, that they were well out of hearing of anyone from Rivendell and that two of them were more than sufficient to watch one blind prisoner.

He tried to fight the urge to doze off, but the monotonous hoof beats kept lulling him to sleep. In an attempt stay awake he listened carefully to the voices in front of him, gathering any information he could. He listened as a deep voice spoke up.

"We're almost there, just another quarter of an hour or so." Acharndil's strong voice was easily heard over the slowing rain.

"Yes, but then what're we supposed to do with this fellow?" the contrast of the second man's voice to Acharndil's was drastic. Acharndil's was deep and even, this man's was undulating, thick at times and suddenly would end on a high, almost whiny note. "I thought we was after the elves, those two matching ones you're always talking about."

"We are." obviously Acharndil didn't feel the need to elaborate.

The other man didn't give up. It was as if he knew he was in his leader's good graces, and it was unlikely that anything he did would change their relationship.

"Then why're we worrying about this blind human?"

"Because, Dagron, I found out a few things during my stay in Rivendell. This 'blind human' may be the key to everything." apparently neither of them cared whether Aragorn heard them talking about his fate or not. "You can accomplish revenge in many ways, immediate death leaves no time for them to regret or feel pain. And sometimes the worst kind of pain is not physical..."

"I still don't see what the human has to with this."

"Oh, but you will. This human will be our link, our way to break their hearts like they broke mine. He'll be our way to make them suffer, suffer like I have all theses years. You see, he is their adopted brother, their 'little' brother. The more pain we case him the more pain we cause them."

Understanding dawned upon the other man, he nodded up and down and chuckled. Aragorn couldn't see his movements but his next words made him shudder. Dagron was all too clear about what his intentions were.

"In _that_ case you can rest assured, those elves of yours will get all the pain you want. If this human's suffering is worse than their own, than they're gonna' be havin' a few hard days ahead of them!"

"These elves can be proud, but I am determined to have these two pay."

"Don't you worry, we'll have these proud elf lords on their knees." Dagron laughed even harder, "You'll have your revenge all right, and I'll have the pleasure of helping you."

Acharndil only grunted at the man's idiotic impudence, something which Dagron seemed completely unaware of as he continued laughing and chattering about how he was going to "help" his leader.

Aragorn's mind froze with horror. They were all to obviously talking about Elladan and Elrohir. What could they have possibly done that this man carried such a grudge against them? He wasn't about to sit around and be used as a tool to inflict pain on his family.

_Great, now just how am I going to get away? I'm blind, I have no clue were I am, and don't even know if this horse is from Rivendell or not._

He knew that horse very well might not be from Rivendell, but he would just have to take the chance and pray this horse's instincts would bring him toward Rivendell.

He only half listened as Dagron continued to make coarse jests about bringing the young elf lords down from off their lofty perches. The man boasted proudly that they would "have them begging before the week was out" – not if he had any say in the matter.

Slowly he reached out and took hold of the reigns, gently nudging the horse back. Then with a quick right pull on the reigns he dug his heels into the horse's flank. The sudden jerk pulled the lead rope out of Dagron's hand, leaving him free to make his escape. He heard the exclamations of his former captors as they spun their own horses around and sped after him.

It was one of the most frightening rides of his life: racing, literally blindly, through unknown woods. He would have given much to have had a more familiar, trusted, horse under him at that moment. Right now his very life, and that of his brothers, depended upon this strange horse.

He heard hoof beats coming up on both sides. Once more he dug his heels into the horse's flank, feeling an instant surge of energy in response. He turned his head as the sounds on his right grew louder. Suddenly, he felt a sharp crack as a tree branch connected with his skull, then he fell to the ground. Even through the pounding pain in his head, he made a deperate effort to sit up.

_Elladan, Elrohir...I have to..._

His thoughts whirled desperately as rough hands grabbed him, pinning him to the ground to prevent him from causing any more trouble.

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"But Ada!"

"Lord Elrond, _please_..."

"We can't just sit here!"

All three of the elves were begging Elrond to let them go after Estel. It had already been a number of hours and still the rain hadn't abated.

Elrond closed his eyes and sadly shook his head.

"You know I would go after Estel even if it meant risking my life, but it is foolishness to leave now. It is growing dark and the rain has already obscured any trail that might have been left."

"I can't bear to think of Estel in the hands of that_ fuigwar_! (_filth_)" Legolas spat the last word out angrily.

"I don't think any of us can, Legolas." Elrond wearily rubbed his forehead, "Just remember, it won't help Estel if we loose our heads and let our emotions guide us."

"Estel needs us now!" Elladan looked longingly out the window. "Have you forgotten that he's blind?! Have you forgotten that he can't see to find his way back even if he did manage to escape?!" he immediately regretted his heated words, "I'm sorry Ada, I didn't mean to..."

"We all love Estel, ion-nín, and we all want to find him just as badly as you do. But for now, all we can do is wait this storm out."

The rain continued to stream past the window in endless torrents. The four young elves tried to busy themselves with anything that would keep their minds from thinking about what might be happening to Aragorn.

Legolas finally left to go to his room. He couldn't stand sitting there anymore, watching as everyone made pretences of reading. Out in the hall he found Dolenil striding back and forth, hands clasped behind his back. Legolas greeted the other elf, who looked up as he approached.

"Dolenil, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing, hir_-_nín. (_my_ _lord_)" He acted rather flustered. "At least nothing of interest..." when his prince still said nothing he went on, "Hir_-_nín, forgive me for asking, but are you feeling all right?"

"Oh I'm fine, Dolenil." Legolas could see that unasked questions were just on the tip of his tongue. "Something is bothering you?"

"All of Imladris is in mourning for that ranger, you are as well. What is it about this human that causes elves such grief?"

"Oh Dolenil, you sound just as I did, just a few years ago." Legolas sighed, "I have learned many things from this 'ranger' this 'human'. I have probably learned much more from him than he ever learned from me." he smiled, "Strange, how a human, barely over twenty, can teach a two-thousand-year-old elf so many things..."

"But humans have done so much harm, they hurt you—they hurt all of us—so badly."

"Yes, humans have. But, just because _some_ humans are cruel, should that prove to us that _all_ humans are cruel? There have been cruel elves, does that make you cruel? Or me?"

"Of course not hir_-_nín! It's just that—"

"Humans are somehow different?" Legolas put his hand on his shoulder. "Dolenil, if you decide to block out humans simply because you have heard of evil in their race, I can not help you. But let me tell you this: you will miss a great many true friends if you do. Estel has become even more than mellon_-_nín (_my_ _friend_), he has become gwador_-_nín (_my sworn brother_). Even in the short time I've known him, Estel has grown to be one of the best friends I've ever known. Perhaps _the_ best."

"I'm sorry, hir-nin, I just don't understand."

"Perhaps not yet. But please, give the race of men a chance."

"I will hir_-_nín."

Legolas rolled his eyes, partially in annoyance and partially in amusement as Dolenil refused to drop the ever-present title that seemed to habitually turn up in his every sentence.

"Please, please, not so many 'my lord's'! You make me feel like some stuck-up princeling."

"I'm sorry hir—Prince—ah..."

"'Legolas' would do just fine."

"Very well... Legolas." he stumbled awkwardly over the new epithet. Saying his liege lord's name so casually felt sacrilegious.

Legolas only laughed.

"No need to look so guilty. I can assure you, my father isn't about to pop out of the woodwork and order your arrest. If he does happen to appear, I promise not to let him drag you away. I'll tell him I ordered you to do it."

Dolenil grinned and played along, albeit rather stiffly .

"Thank you for your protection. The thought of a millennia in prison, or more likely a swift execution, was not boding well with me, I must confess."

Even as they laughed again, Dolenil saw that worry was still very eminent in Legolas.

"Lord Elrond and his sons are just as anxious to find him as you. They _will_ find him."

For Legolas's sake Dolenil wished that the human might be found. He didn't know the him, but his Prince clearly felt deeply about him. Dolenil found himself not so much concerned or caring for the human as curious and interested. Who was this ranger that he had so completely captured his Prince's friendship and loyalty? What human could have endeared himself to so many elves? He was just as determined as any of them, now, that he be found—if for no other reason than to save Legolas from pain. It frightened him to see the amount of anguish in his lord's eyes, and to think of what it would do to Legolas if the ranger died.

"I hope you're right Dolenil. I hope you're right, for all our sakes."

Making it to his room, Legolas sat down. But before long he was back on his feet, pacing the room, wondering about his friend's fate.

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Refusing to give in to unconsciousness, Aragorn closed his eyes and didn't reopen them until the pain in his head had subsided into a tolerable ache. Not that having his eyes closed made that much of a difference.

The ropes that had so recently been so recently taken off him were produced and his hands were firmly tied behind his back. Aragorn smiled faintly as he heard Dagron use a string of profanities he'd never heard before. Knowing he'd been enough of an inconvenience to make his captor swear was small recompense for not having succeeded, but it was something. A kick to his ribs soon wiped the smile from his face.

"What're you smilin' about?" Dagron growled, his anger making his speech even less refined than usual. He grabbed him by his arms, pulling him to his feet. He took a second rope and tied it around his neck. "Thanks to you, we've lost the bloody 'orse!" he secured the rope to his saddle with an angry jerk. "So now, you can just walk—and walk fast—to make up for it!" back in the saddle, he continued to mumble, more to himself than anyone else. "Good thing I 'ad him riding the old nag instead of one of these beauties." he patted his horse. "The nag will only go back to the village. Now either one of these two 'ere would be half way back to that a-a Revendall."

"It's R-i-v-e-n-d-e-l-l." Aragorn knew what his impudence could earn him, but he was starting to get the feeling that diplomacy wasn't going to affect his fate too much—he did not appear to be in for a pleasant trip.

His guess as to the reception his words would have was right. If he could have seen Dagron at that moment, what he would have see was a red-faced man boiling with the urge to strangle.

"Not _now_ Dagron."

"But..."

"Honestly Dagron! If you were not my only living relative..." Acharndil sighed, "Be patient, you will have plenty of fun with him later."

Acharndil's words satiated Dagron—for the moment.

Even with the use of his eyes, it would have been awkward for Aragorn to walk the way he was tied. Not being able to see where he was going made thing far worse. Most of the time his quick reflexes saved him from falling when he tripped, but the occasional rock or projecting root would catch him off guard. His falls were always greeted by Dagron's mocking laughter.

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The long and weary journey came to an end at last, and he was forced to follow as Dagron took the rope and led him forward. There were noises up ahead: the sounds of crackling fires and laughing men, eating, talking and, Aragorn guessed, drinking as well.

Soon he was right in the middle of all the noises, only the noises had turned to open talk about him. He began to feel distinctly claustrophobic as he felt the suffocating pressure of bodies closing in around him. He heard Dagron's voice, boasting about how he had single-handedly recaptured him. Dagron proudly talked and displayed him, acting like an arrogant child, showing off his newest toy. Aragorn closed his eyes and refused to acknowledge the humiliation.

He didn't have time to suppress a cry of surprised pain as a fist unexpectedly connected with the side of his head.

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****To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**sielge: **Well, now we do know who's been behind all of this! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, Imbecamiel and I worked hard on it. Yep, poor, blind Estel has not gotten himself kidnapped – poor guy, the things I do to him ; ) Thanks for reviewing!

**Mornflower: **Boy, "mysterious bad dude" sure sounds bright: "nu-uh" . LOL. You are extremely funny, as always : ) Oh yeah and : "you have a right to an attorney...or two little hobbit sized people..." (snort) That was sooo funny! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for Acharndil, there where no convenient police officers lounging around waiting to arrest any "suspicious bad guys with dangerous looking sharp objects" who threaten to harm our beloved ranger : ) Your not confusing, you just have an "eccentriginal" (that would be eccentric and original : ) way of expressing yourself! I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter – thanks for reviewing!

**polingly: **The BEST chapter yet?! YAY!!! It's good to know that I'm improving, rather than getting worse as the story progresses : ) About Legolas forgetting that Aragorn was blind...(blushes) Actually, that's because _I _kept forgetting that he was blind! I would write a WONDERFUL scene, and be so pleased with myself, and then Imbecamiel would come and ruin it for me "um, Nefhiriel, isn't he SUPPOSED to be blind? How could he possibly..." (sigh) Then I would have to rewrite the whole section... In the end, I figured that since I was forgetting Legolas would probably have trouble too remembering too, so I just changed it a little bit. I'm glad you liked the twins: there's going to be a LOT more of them : ) Yeah, we've read a little Dorthy Sayers too, though I still prefer Sherlock Holmes. My whole family really likes to listen to books on tape, and we love mysteries, so we often get mysteries from the library to listen to in the car. Have you ever heard of the Brother Cadfael stories (they're by Ellis Peters)? They're really fascinating medieval mysteries, with very endearing characters. So, being the mystery lover that you are, did you guess Acharndil? He is the most obvious suspect, I admit : b NOTHING to improve upon?! Since it's such an important chapter (it's kind of the turning point in the story), I'm really happy to hear that you think it turned out so well! Still - NOTHING! Wow... Yes, Detective Polly, your intuition has not led you astray! There IS lots more in store for all these unfortunate characters...(rubs hands and chuckles evilly) Namarië, gwathel-nín esse Ilúlvatar! Hannon le!

**HarryEstel: **If you think Aragorn is in trouble now... Let's just say I enjoy writing angst (grins evilly). Thanks so much for the review, glad you liked the chapter!

**jacquelinestel: **OH! I want an Aragorn bubble machine!!! You won't sell him to me? Not even for a hundred bucks?! (sticks out tongue) And I was so set on it... Legolas is a VERY good salesman! He really had me hooked there! "Add this scruffy ranger and his miraculous bubbling mouth to your favorite room's decor for only five easy payments of $19.99! That's a $20 value for five easy payments of $19.99!" (snort) Hehehe... What you said about going to your shrink reminded my of my own trip to a psychologist ( I really DID go to one!). He was evaluating me for ADD, and I had to take LOTS of tests and stuff. While he was looking over the results, he kept muttering things like "Interesting. I've never seen anything quite like this... This will be a real learning experience for me. Very interesting. I'll have to keep an eye on this one..." I am NOT kidding! I've got my Mom and Imbecamiel as witnesses! Everyone else on here likes to joke about being strange and confusing shrinks – I'm one of the very few who actually have PROOF! We never found out for sure what IS the matter with me : ) So I REALLY am a little strange...(I have to professional word of a psychologist!) Great, now I'm going to scare all my readers away... : b I suppose you all thought I was joking when I said I was weird : ) Anyways, sorry for rambling (insane people tend to do that, you know...)! I'm glad you think that this being the beginning of the story sounded "ominously delightful" : ) I hope I don't disappoint! Thank you for your review!

**elvingirl3737: **AHA! My first DEATH THREAT! I really am going up in the world! I have reached a memorable day in my writing career... I'm so glad you're mad at me! (grins) I'm glad you liked the banter between El and El, I enjoy writing that sort of thing, so there'll be lots more. It's really a landmark in the writing career of a fanfiction author when they receive their first death threat, LOL. Well, thank you for your...um....lovely...um...kind...um...threatening...review : ) I'm off to glow a little more!

**Drylith: **(points proudly at the beautiful prize she won for 'best cliffy') Hehehe... I'm glad I was able to surprise you by throwing in Curuar. I thought I might startle a few people with his sudden introduction : ) Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reviewing!

**viggomaniac:** You think I'm going to do something to Estel?! Now why would I do a thing like that? (whistles innocently) OK, OK! Yes, of course I'm going to feed your optimistic hope and give you angst! What kind of an author would I be if I withheld that precious commodity from one who so obviously needs it? But you know, I'm having second thoughts, here... Do you actually have a PERSCRIPTION for "Aragorn angst"? I would like to see something in writing from your doctor, I would so hate to be feeding addictions... : ) I'm glad you liked my evil ending, LOL. Thanks for the review!

**Luthien: **(pulls out well-worn copy of the 'Official Angst Writers' Manual' and begins to quote from page #5,592,467,190) "...and therefore it is necessary for all persons aspireing to attain and/or maintain great angst authorship to end a great percentage of their chapters in 'cliff-hangers', also commonly known as 'cliffies' ..." See? I may not be one of the "great" authors yet, but I'm working hard at imitating those elite who have achieved that goal already. Besides, as I said in the intro, it's Cassia and Sio's fault I even know what a cliffie is! Anyhow... Thanks so much for the review, I hope this update was soon enough, and that you enjoyed it!

**Naesse: **Well, believe it! (grins) Yes, yes, yes, I know I'm cruel : ) Thanks so much for the review, I hope this chapter was soon enough for you! (looks at last sentence and scratches head) What do you know, I'm a poet! LOL.

**Anorwen06: **Oh no!!! I hope you do well on your music theory test!!! If you have trouble, feel free to tell your teacher that it's all Nefhiriel's fault : ) They don't know where I live, so they can't come and get me, now can they? (grins) I'm just glad you stumbled upon my story! Ooo, so I satisfied another grammar stickler? (wipes forehead) Whew! I am very fortunate to have a sister like Imbecamiel, though I'm afraid that after her extraordinary services, I'll have a rather broad definition of what an editor's responsibilities are. Imbecamiel not only edits my story, but also helps me with titles, works out the logistics, keeps the facts straight, draws me quick sketches and maps when I confuse myself too much over where everyone's supposed to be and what direction they're going, types up author's notes ane review responses while I lie on the couch and dictate when my back hurts, e-mails people when I'm too busy, gets permission for me to use MC OCs (and while she's at it gets Cassia interested enough to read my story!), keeps up my self esteem when I'm having panic attacks about how bad I think my writing is, and when she's in a really good mood, washes the dishes so I can finish an important section that I'm busy with : ) She really is AMAZING!!! That line of Elladan's has always been one of my favorites too, LOL. I'm so glad the plot "flows" well! Haha – you like my author's notes (and apologetic notes : )! It's so good to hear that someone is actually reading them and thinking they're funny, sometimes I wonder if I'm just boring people : b (stares in disbelief) You didn't LIKE the end of my chapter?! I can't imagine why... (grin) Don't worry about taking up to much of my time – I've got all the time in the world... OK, so maybe not ALL the time in the world, but I absolutely LOVE having what time I do have taken up by such wonderful reviewers as yourself : ) I'm really sorry to hear about your wrist : b Sounds painful : ( Anyways...Sorry to ramble at you! (I'm afraid that I do tend to "pounce" on my reviewers and talk them to death ; ) Thanks soooo much for the review!

**springfairy: **Yes, the tension is mounting! I almost didn't get the chance to update today, but I decided I _had _to make room, since I'd left it on such a cliffie : b I'm glad you like Dolenil. I can't tell you _exactaly _what role he'll be playing, but he will be in this story for a good part of the time - so it's a good thing he's interesting! I'm glad that you think I'm still managing the banter between characters well. I really had fun writing the scene where they disscuss who the culprit might be - I'm glad you thought that worked out well too.What a lovely long review, thank you so much! Your compliments are very encouraging!

**Kathira: **Thank you so much for all of you compliments! (blushes) I must say I was _very_ nervous about what kind of reception this story would get, since it's my first serious LOTR story. You were EXTREMELY encouraging! Thank you so, so much for reviewing!!!

**A special thanks to apsenniel and Anorwen06 for adding me to their author alerts! **

**Oh, yes, I almost forgot! Thanks also to everyone who gave me such lovely death threats! They really helped me with my rough week. Of course they worried my mom a little bit (as did my delight at receiving them : ). I hope to have the next chapter up Tuesday or Wednesday. It'll be called "Lost Without Light".**

**- Nefhiriel **

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG, and member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	7. Lost Without Light

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**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **I'll admit it right from the start: I don't really like this chapter. I hope you do, but I'm afraid that I'm just not quite satisfied with the way it turned out. And it's so short... : b Anyhow, if I want to get this out in time, there's no way I'm going to have time to lengthen it or improve upon what's already there – so you'll just have to bear with me : ) Hmm, apparently it's back to the "apologetic notes" for poor Nefhiriel... (bangs wall half-heartedly with calloused forehead) Sorry if this is a lame and short chapter...yes, I _apologize _: b Happy now? 

(dons over-exaggeratedly cheerful smile) OK, on with the chappy!

See first chapter for Disclaimer. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.

_- Dedicated to Polly: a wonderful friend, loyal reviewer, and an incredible artist and writer! (sorry Polly, I'm not dedicating the worst chapter in the story to you on purpose, it just happened : ) - _

**

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****Chapter 7: Lost Without Light**

The worst part was not being able to see his tormentors; not being able to predict when or where the next blow would come from. Another blow to his face. The dizziness was overpowering, but he tried to struggle against it. Finally giving up, he fell to his knees. He could feel blood running down the side of his face.

Breaking through the group of men, Acharndil put his hand Dagron's upraised arm, restraining him.

"Wait." he commanded, "That's enough for now."

"But boss, we were only havin' a _little_ fun with 'im. What's the good a draggin' 'im all this way if we can't 'ave some fun?"

"You will have your 'fun'." Dagron's expression brightened, but then turned dismal at his next words. "Later." Acharndil made a circuit around Aragorn. "I know what you are thinking, and you would be right. If he were anything less than the brother of the 'Lords' Elladan and Elrohir," he spoke the words mockingly, bitterly. "his life would be expendable – easily expendable. It _would_ be if were nothing but a young ranger, but he is not _just_ a young ranger." he paused mid-stride and looked at Dagron. "With him under our control the possibilities are limitless. He _must_, however, still be alive in order for any of those possibilities to become realities!" he lowered his voice back to it's normal, resonant monotone. "Now, take Magog and bring him to the cave. You can take turns with the other men guarding him. I have yet to figure out how we are to use him to out best advantage."

Dagron nodded respectfully, albeit grudgingly. He grabbed Aragorn's right arm and motioned for another man to take his left.

Aragorn listened as they debated over what his fate would be. It looked like for the moment he was spared. He lay still, wanting to attract as little attention as possible. If this had been only a foretaste, he would do well to avoid goading them on to anymore "fun". The men pulled him up. His head was still ringing, but he made it to his feet as they moved forwards.

"Oh, and Dagron." Acharndil watched as they jerked him towards the cave. "Please don't damage him beyond repair?"

Dagron mumbled his assent.

From the way their voices and footsteps resounded Aragorn guessed that the cave was relatively small. Dagron and Magog dropped him to the floor, then walked over to the other side of the cave and settled in.

Determined to use all the senses that were left to him to gather all the information he could, Aragorn focused on the sounds of their footsteps. Their gaits were very similar, but there was a slight difference by which he could tell them apart. Dagron and Magog were both loud, but Dagron's footsteps dragged a bit more, he tended to shuffle his feet.

He let his head fall back against the side of the cave, satisfied that he would be able to tell at least two of his captors apart. True, there were probably many more to learn... But at least it was a start.

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The last remnants of yesterday's deluge dripped off the slanted roofs. The clouds had rolled away and the sun was out, shedding its golden rays across a company of elves as they rode out from Rivendell.

Elladan and Elrohir rode in front, with Legolas and Dolenil behind them. All of them had voted for leaving hours ago, when the rain had stopped. The only opposition to their midnight ride had been Elrond and Glorfindel. As always the older elves' opinions carried much more weight than any of the others'.

The tracks had been completely obliterated, but they retraced as well as they could their steps of the previous night.

Everything looked different in the daylight without any rain or wind. They were frighteningly aware that they couldn't even be completely sure they were going in the right direction. Now there was nothing more to follow. Not a single clue to continue on with. The forest before them was vast. The prospect of trying to find Estel in it was overwhelming.

"Let's split up into parties. We can meet back here tonight." Elladan suggested.

"You and Elrohir cover the right," Legolas turned his horse. "Dolenil and I will go to the left."

Without any further ado they split up and began to search. The urgency of their quest drove them on, and they covered a lot more ground than they had expected to. Nevertheless, at the end of the day both parties returned empty handed.

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Aragorn woke with a start. At first he wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly it was that had woken him up.

"Thought you would catch a few winks, eh?"

_Dagron._

So that's what had woken him up.

"Well answer me elf lover!" Aragorn turned his face and closed his eyes. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you!" he kicked Aragorn in the ribs. "Why should you get to sleep while we sit watch? The least you could do is give us a little company." he chuckled as if some brilliant idea had just come to him. "Yeah, why should _you_ get to sleep when _we_ have to keep watch?"

Aragorn groaned inwardly. He was physically, as well as mentally, exhausted and had received less than an hour of sleep, but every time he drifted off one, or both, of the men would wake him. By their coarse jests and raucous laughter he could tell they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Two more pairs of footsteps approached. One was extremely trudging and heavy, the other was light, at least in comparison, and also less frequent—obviously a taller man.

"Well, looks like our watch is up Magog."

Dagron and Magog stood up and greeted the newcomers. Aragorn couldn't see any of their gestures, but he listened intently for any new information.

"Why are we keepin' da prisoner in here?" one of the new men said, his voice sounded unusually thick.

"Because it's the most secure place we 'ave right now." Dagron answered authoritatively, "It's a small cave, but it's a good makeshift prison for now. Best of all, there's no back entrance. If anyone trys to rescue 'im," he made a motion with his thumb towards Aragorn. "they got to go through our whole camp first."

"What 'bout that crack back there?" the man with the thick voice asked.

"A mouse couldn't fit through that crack you idiot! Much less an entire army of elves!"

"You sure 'bout that?" the heavy footsteps walked forward a little ways. "I bet I could almost fit through here, if I just..."

"I wouldn't stick try sticking myself in there if I were you." the other newcomer's voice warned. "You could get-"

"'elp me, I'm stuck!"

Aragorn would have laughed if his situation had been less dire. As it was, he didn't wish to promote anymore abuse than necessary. Still, he had to work hard to smother his laughter as he listened to the three men grunt and finally succeed in pulling out the other man.

"See? I told you so." Dagron had clearly had enough of this idiot for one night. "A mouse couldn't fit through there you block 'ead! It's less than a foot wide! Enough of this. Magog and I are tired and it's your turn. Watch 'im well, it'll be your 'ead if 'e escapes."

"One last thing before you take over." in a undertone Magog whispered something unintelligible. Aragorn couldn't make the words out, but he didn't like the sound of the laughter that followed.

Aragorn realized with relief that he could finally get some sleep now. He closed his eyes, grateful for a means to bring this nightmare to a temporary close. Before he had a chance to drift off, he felt rough hands shaking him. With agonizing weariness he swiftly understood that this new pair of guards had been let in on the latest form of entertainment.

Another two hours passed and the watches were switched: different guards, same treatment.

Aragorn felt the lingering rays of the dying sun rest upon his face, no doubt it was coming through the crack in the wall. It was nerve-wracking to have to sit here with nothing but his thoughts and these pitiless men for company. His thoughts swayed back and forth, first desperately wanting his brothers to find him, and then, remembering Acharndil's plans, he frantically wished them anywhere else but near him. It was all too much for his rapidly tiring brain to focus on.

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Acharndil stood with his back against a tree, Dagron and Magog sat nearby, talking and eating. Dagron was self-importantly explaining to the men gathered around the fire his ingenious idea of never letting Aragorn rest. They all found it highly amusing, and were now anticipating their own turns at guarding him.

Acharndil shrugged and lifted his pipe to his mouth, inhaling deeply. What was the harm? The ranger was strong. He couldn't let this go on for too long, but for now... Plans were formulating in his mind. Any way he chose included, or at least didn't exclude, hurting the ranger. The most important part of his plan was, after all, to hurt _them_, and this was the best way to do it. He would hurt _them_ at any cost. Getting away with his life would be a bonus, not a necessity.

He had already decided on the first step he would take towards his revenge. He looked down at the knife he had been toying with. It was an elvish dagger that had been taken from the ranger when he was captured. A message would be sent to Rivendell, a message, and one other thing...

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**To Be Continued...**

**Ahh, the eternal cliffhanger... (grins evilly) What will Acharndil send to Rivendell? You'll have to wait till Friday to find out -or Saturday if I don't get more energy (mopes) We've been so busy lately that I've hardly had the brain-power to do anything, and now being so depressed over this chapter has gotten me in a childishly bad mood. Ack! Anyways, your reviews do a lot to keep me posting (not to mention the fact that they provide excellent motivation to get out of bed in the mornings : ) Three cheers for my wonderful reviewers!!! The next chapter will be called "Never Give Up". **

**Reviewer responses:**

**jacquelinestel: **I've reached 11.437 – WOW! Yes, their are more "wonderful" things to come... Poor Aragorn... Estel is singing_ Spice Girls_?!!!! "Oh goodness" is right! I can understand why you'd feel the strong urge to leave rather quickly : ) Thanks so much for the review – you're very encouraging!

**sielge: **I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**HarryEstel:** "Pure unadulterated evil" am I? Wow, such strong adjectives... Anyhow, I know exactly what you mean about everyone leaving their stories on cliffies. I was, after all, a reader before I was a writer, and have quite a few stories right now that I'm yelling at the authors to update soon. And since I am not feeling to happy about where my favorite stories are being left, it's kind of fun to have a chance to be an "evil author" myself! (cackles evilly) But _I _at least try to update soon...I'm so nice : ) Thank you so much for the review!

**viggomaniac: **Oh, you _do _have a prescription! That's quite a relief! Now I can, with clear conscience, keep right on supplying for your addiction...um...er...that is your _prescription_ : ) Well, I never _really _expected anyone to suspect Dolenil, but I had to have _someone _for the characters to suspect other than Eglaer or Celboril : ) Ooo, I'm glad that I was almost evil enough for you, LOL. Well, you should be feeling sorry for Estel! (grins) Poor guy, in my story it's inevitable that things just keep on going down hill for him... I love to leave "promising" little hints like that... And I'm glad you liked my choice of words! I've been known to read dictionaries and thesauruses (what is the plural of that word anyway?) for "fun" "light" reading, so I try to incorporate some of my favorite words into my writings. Rain...Lovely rain...It can cover such a multitude of difficulties and dilemmas...I love rain : ) I'm glad that it didn't seem that it just "happened" by "chance" to conveniently start raining just when the author needed these amazing elven trackers to lose a trail : b Of course, I could always just blame it on their incredible luck... : ) I was taking a look at your C2 community, and you appear to have an error... It seems that in with all these phenomenal authors like: Cassia, Sio, Nili, Linuvial, and Chloe, somehow some obscure, inexperienced author got stuck in there. Lets see, what was the name... Oh, that's right – Nefhiriel. Hmm, sounds like an interesting story, though. Angst...Action...Lots of Estel and Legolas...Hmm...I might have to read this. Oh. Right. I wrote that, didn't I... Nuts, now I know all the spoilers : b As you can see, I still haven't gotten over that weird feeling that comes when you see your own story on the internet : ) New authors... Thank you so much for the review – it really brightened up my day!

**polingly: **Yes indeed – poor everybody! Except, of course, Acharndil and Dagron...They deserve anything they get...Grrr. Boy, I've created monsters, and you don't know the half of it yet. (evil grin) To tell you the truth, at this point in the story I didn't have any better ideas than the character did about how they were supposed to find the...um...creeps (nice strong adjective, Leeanne : ) without any trail, LOL. Ah well, Imbecamiel helped me figure stuff out in the end. BTW, she says thanks for the group hug, she needed one today : ) Is that a veiled threat I hear? Hmm, I certainly will be watching my back... (grins) I'm looking forward to see what you come up with for a drawing! I'm sure it'll be great! Thank you soooo much gwathel-nin!

**Drylith: **Unfinished Tales...Let me know if you think it's interesting. I own it, but haven't yet found the time to read it. I should really do that one of these days...Anyhow, thank you for consistently encouraging me with your reviews!

**elvingirl3737: **Whew, I'm only "fairly disturbing", not actually crazy – there's a comforting thought! Glad you liked the angst! Oh, and there's going to be plenty of...um..."Ranger whomping" in store for Aragorn in the near future. I seem to be collecting different ways of saying "hurt Aragorn". There's "Aragorn angst", "Ranger danger", and now, "Ranger Whomping". But most people just call it "Poor Estel" : ) Hmm, what...creative reviewers I have, LOL. Don't worry, you're not the only one deriving pleasure from Estel's rather bleak prospects for the future! In fact, he seems to be one of the few _not _looking forward to it. Not that I exactly blame him for that... : ) Anyways, thanks for the review!

**Mornflower: **Ha! My favorite Mornflower quote for today: "remember this time...no talking to strange trees...you don't know all of them...its the same concept with humans...don't talk to strangers..." That made me laugh so hard! Hmm, Legolas is pretty well versed in code 392. How often does _that_ happen? Yes...Aragorn has been kidnapped by "freaky freaks without girlfriends"...you might say that : ) I'm sure the poor ranger appreciates you and Legolas coming to his rescue – the pillow should be very effective...um..."Lego". Let me know how you get along, tracking him without any trail to follow, LOL. Thanks so much for the review – it really brightened my day up!

**Naesse: **Oh, I'm so happy, happy, happy that you think this not only good – but actually getting better! (does a little dance) That is VERY encouraging to hear! I just hope this chapter didn't destroy any good impressions my previous chapters have created : b Thank you SO MUCH for the review!!!

**A special thanks to ****isilme222**** for adding me to your author authors alerts!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG, and member of the F.F.F.F.F**

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	8. Never Give Up

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**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **Hannon le!!! All you reviewers were just AMAZING, and your kindness was overwhelming - to say the least! Really, every time I read, or even think, about one of the many reviews I received, I get this ridiculous grin on my face : ) You all put such a spring in my step with you WONDERFUL, ENCOURAGING reviews! I'm glad you all didn't think the chapter was as bad as _I _thought it was ; ) I tend to have occasional panic attacks about my writing skills (artist temperament, I guess : ). Usually Imbecamiel sits me down, and patiently (_ever _so patiently!) talks me through them. But since she wasn't having the best of weeks either...She thanks you for all your support as well ; ) 

**Important notes for this chapter: **I'm afraid that earlier I forgot to add this before posting the story. I was going to have it be about two days journey to Acharndil's camp, so Aragorn was taken from Rivendell in midmorning of the first day, and arrived in the camp the evening of the second day. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Also, the events in this chapter don't all take place at the same time. So when it starts out from Legolas' perspective, it's the morning of the fourth day, then, when it switches back to Aragorn's perspective, it's the morning of the third day, or the day after he arrived at Acharndil's camp. I hope this isn't too confusing for anyone (heaven knows it was confusing enough for me to figure out!) - sorry for all the weird switches : b

See first chapter for Disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.

_- Dedicated to Leeanne: a very encouraging friend, who never ceases to make me laugh with her hilarious "insights" into my story, and her...um...interesting adjectives : ) I salute you, President of the F.F.F.F.F! - _

**

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****Chapter 8: Never Give Up**

It was a gloomy company of four that gathered for breakfast that morning. The identical downcast expressions on Elladan and Elrohirs' faces made the two of them even more difficult for Dolenil to tell apart.

Sitting down with a sigh, Legolas pretended to take an interest in preparing the food.

_Has it really been three days since Aragorn was captured? _

Food was the last thing on his mind.

_It already feels like it's been ages... _

The smell of burnt food eventually caught his attention and he resumed stirring in a half-hearted attempted to salvage it. Giving up, he dumped the charred remains on the ground. Nobody was interested in eating anyways.

"Shall we continue in the same directions?" Elladan pulled his pack up from the ground.

The others nodded and shouldered their own packs. They split up into two parties and silently mounted their horses.

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A sleepless night had passed and now Aragorn could feel the sun's thin rays seeping through the crack, warm against his face.

Each new watch that came was fresh and eager for fun. Aragorn could, quite literally, feel himself draining of all energy. All he could do is slump against the wall and do his best to sleep.

He had gotten used to the two hour shifts, listening for each new pair of footsteps. Now he heard a pair of footsteps that he already knew. One firm, lingering step and then the other foot fell more hesitantly and was brought up again quickly. He stiffened as the lightly limping footsteps came towards him.

_Acharndil_.

No doubt, Dagron was close behind him.

_Cheerful thought..._

"Sleep well?" Dagron taunted him. "I would think that it would be hard, seein' how you was never allowed to close your eyes. I really should talk to these men about that."

"Don't bother," Aragorn forced his voice to remain steady. "I'm used to sleeping with my eyes open. It's a trick you learn early on when you live among elves."

"Why you—"

"Enough!" Acharndil's smooth voice echoed through the cavern. "We must get down to business." He stepped closer to Aragorn. "I have here in my hand a letter that is going to be sent to Rivendell." He read aloud a short letter that made Aragorn's blood boil with anger. "Do you have anything to ask of your family? Perhaps you wish to beg for your life?"

"Never." Aragorn matched his voice to the calm voice of his captor, adding more confidence and defiance than he felt.

"Never is a very long time—do you really wish me to give you more reasons to beg for mercy? I'm sure a few lines written by you would do much to convince them..."

"You think that I would go against my own family? How twisted is your mind, that you would think I would trade my life for those of my brothers?! I know that my father and my brothers would give their lives for mine. I will do no less."

"How touching." sarcasm dripped from his words. "But it's not your life or theirs that I require at the moment."

"Then what?"

Acharndil disregarded the question.

"If I had your brothers under my power right now I wouldn't kill them right away. I would make them suffer first." he paused, as if deep in thought. "But now for you. I do hope you realize that I don't really enjoy doing this..."

Aragorn hardly had the time to register the sound of metal being pulled from a sheath. Suddenly he felt the sting of a dagger as it was thrust into his arm. He couldn't muffle the cry of surprise that sprung from his lips. After that, he just had the time to steel himself against the pain as the dagger was jerked back out.

Acharndil straitened himself to his full height and strode from the cave, shouting a command to Dagron as he left.

"Take something and tie that wound up. The letter says he is alive, and alive he must remain, for the time being."

Gritting his teeth, Aragorn forced himself to remain still as Dagron wound a dirty piece of cloth around his arm. He finished it off with a yank, tying it off harder than was needed.

Despite the pain and weariness he could have almost felt at peace. Even facing torture and death would have been nothing if it would save other lives. If it would prevent this monster from carrying through on whatever his intentions for Elladan and Elrohir were, then he could embrace death easily. What made his present condition unbearable was the knowledge that any day—any moment—they could come walking into the trap—the trap that he was baiting.

He sighed as he felt his shoulder begin to throb.

He could have kicked himself for getting caught. Well, it appeared that in the future he would have plenty of volunteers to do that for him...

_If only I could warn them!_

His thoughts screamed at him to do something, anything. But deep in his heart he knew that no warning would be strong enough to keep his brothers and Legolas from searching until they found him. It was a comforting, and at the same time, a horrible thought.

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Acharndil gripped the bloody dagger in one hand and the letter in the other. He stuck the dagger into the saddle of a horse that stood nearby and sat down to add a few more lines to the letter. Finishing, he carefully folded the letter and tied it to the saddle, just below the dagger. He smiled with satisfaction at the already drying blood that covered the blade. Dagron reemerged from the cave, and Acharndil gave a few brisk orders before taking the horse's lead rope and heading out into the woods. 

He used every skill he possessed to cover up his trail and that of the horse. Pausing, he looked back and was rewarded for all his efforts with a virtually invisible path. But he wasn't content yet. He continued on until the sun began to descend towards the west before he heard the sound that he had been waiting for: running water.

Acharndil eagerly waded into the stream. Still leading the horse, he spent the better part of an hour going down stream. Finally he halted. He smiled the same self-satisfied smile as he scanned the knife and letter. This was a horse that had been stolen from the elves. It would, without a doubt, be back to Rivendell by this time tomorrow. How he would love to be there when Lord Elrond and his sons received this.

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Elrond paced up and down the long hallways of Imladris.

Today was the fourth day since the search parties had left, and still they hadn't received any news. Not from his sons, nor from the captors. He tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that at least there hadn't been any bad news yet, but it didn't help the foreboding he had in his heart. The knowledge that Estel was going through something terrible refused to depart from his thoughts.

He sensed Glorfindel's presence and quickly turned.

"News?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, it seems that Acharndil has sent us a message."

Elrond perceived that Glorfindel was hiding something. His gaze pierced the blond elf, causing the him to look away. Now he knew something was seriously wrong.

"What is it?"

He strove to steel himself for whatever Acharndil had sent, but nothing could have completely prepared him for what Glorfindel pulled out from the folds of his cape. His eyes were immediately riveted on the elvish dagger. It was a dagger he new well, Estel's dagger—covered in blood.

Reaching out, he silently took it from Glorfindel and studied it carefully.

It was obviously human blood.

Glorfindel watched as his friend sunk into a chair, his stunned gaze still resting on dagger.

"It's not necessarily his blood." When he received no answer from Elrond, he continued. "There was a letter as well."

He held out the message which Elrond slowly took. Sensing that his lord needed to be alone, Glorfindel began to turn around and quietly move towards the door.

"Glorfindel?" Elrond asked, half pulling himself out of his stupor long enough to give his instructions.

"Yes?"

"Make sure to send some elves out to see how far the horse's tracks can be followed. Somehow I doubt that our enemy would have left a clear trail to be followed—this plan has been too well thought out for that—but we must make an effort."

"I'll send some elves out immediately."

Left to himself, Elrond slowly reread the letter:

_To the "Lords" Elladan and Elrohir,_

_You took from me something that can never be replaced. You have caused me more pain than I can ever express, and now I intend to have revenge. The only way I can see to do this is to make you suffer, just as I have._

_I have in my power someone who is very dear to your hearts. May each hurt I cause him cause your hearts to break even more. May each torture I inflict upon him give you the same agony that I have had to live with all these years. I hope you enjoy the feelings of helplessness as you sit there, unable to ease his pain. _

_Death is too good for you, I would not ask for your lives—yet. But beg from me on his behalf, come and place yourself under my power, and I may be merciful._

_I will give you four days to make your decision, then I will meet you at the large willow that stands at the lower fork of the strean, Gwaurnen. But be careful. If I do not return from our meeting then... Well, let's just say that my men wouldn't look too kindly upon your brother. His life is in your hands. Think hard before you do anything rash, or the ranger will pay for your mistakes. Remember—four days. _

Elrond shuddered as he read the last lines.

_The blood on the dagger is his. But rest assured, he is alive. How long he remains that way is up to you. Surrender yourselves without a fight and his life may be spared._

_You know who I am._

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"It looks as if they've just disappeared into thin air!"

Legolas nodded his agreement with Elladan. They had found no traces of Acharndil or Estel and it was already the evening of the fourth day.

"We had better stop at Rivendell to pick up some more supplies, and talk to Ada." Elrohir commented. "We could make it there by tonight."

None of them liked to admit it, but all understood that the likelihood of Aragorn still being alive if—no, _when_—they found him was pretty scarce. They hated having to go back to Rivendell without anything substantial to report, but they were going to need some more supplies. Besides, there was always the chance that Elrond had recieved some news since their departure.

The sun was almost below the horizon as the five travelers rode their weary way into Rivendell. They instantly went to find Elrond.

When they arrived at thier father's study, Elladan and Elrohir, who were in front, stopped so abruptly that Legolas almost bumped into them. Looking around the twins, he saw what had caused the sudden stop. All eyes were immediately captivated by the elven dagger that lay on the table in front of Elrond. In a glance they could all tell that it was, without a doubt, human blood.

Elladan seized it, his shocked eyes taking it all in. Slowly, he set it back on the table, his face flooding with sorrow and rage. Both the twins and Legolas knew it to be Estel's hunting knife.

"Estel?" Elrohir said with alarm.

"Ada, what has happened?" If Elrohir was alarmed, Elladan sounded nearly frantic.

Elrond handed him the letter.

"This came a few hours ago."

As Elladan took it and began to read, Elrohir and Legolas looked over his shoulders and scanned the paper as well. When Elladan looked up his eyes were burning with rage.

"I will kill him if what he says is true. If he has hurt Estel..." he let the unfinished threat hang.

"We must be calm if we are to get through this, and save Estel from this madman." Elrond was talking to himself as much as anyone else.

"But you heard what he's doing to Estel! Ada, he-"

Elrohir quietly spoke up from Elladan's side.

"He will kill him, El, if we try to do anything."

"Then why don't we agree to his terms?" Elladan was almost in tears. Everyone else hung their heads mournfully as they listened. None of them knew what to tell him. "I don't know what this Acharndil has against us, but it's our fault that Estel is blind and a captive, it should be our lives that get him out of this." Elrohir gave a slight nod. Then Elladan realized with new anguish that this bargain would save one of his brothers, but at the same time it would doom the other. "Maybe he would just accept one of us, maybe he would just accept me." he ended tiredly, dropping into a chair and hiding his face in his hands. He knew the futility of his words.

Elrohir kneeled on the floor next to his brother and attempted to comfort him. His own grief could be contained no longer, and tears ran down his face and onto his brothers lap. Sobs wracked Elladan's shoulders as he buried himself in his brother's embrace. Elrohir couldn't bear to see his usually strong brother in this state.

"Shh, El. Don't give up yet. He'll be alright, just wait. Estel won't despair and neither will we. He'll come out of this alright."

Legolas watched the scene unfolding before him silently. He shed no tears. Indeed, one might have almost thought him unmoved if it were not for the heartbreaking grief in his eyes.

_Estel, mellon-nin, gwador-nín, don't give up. Please hold on. I promise, I'll come find you. And when I do find you, I swear I won't leave you, no matter what_.

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The first reaction Aragorn had to the removal of Acharndil's nauseating presence had, naturally, been one of relief. Acharndil was gone, but the words of the letter remained behind to haunt him every waking hour. In other words, constantly.

He could only think over the cruel words so many times before the urge would come on him to strangle one of the guards and make an escape—or die trying. The latter outcome was undoubtedly the likeliest. He couldn't believe that he was waiting around to be used against Elladan and Elrohir. He should be doing something!

Cursing his own condition, he struggled to remain calm. If an opportunity for escape presented itself, he would be ready.

In the meantime, the present was pressing. He had escaped Acharndil's suffocating attention, but Dagron was all too eager to make up in his leaders absence.

**

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****To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**sielge: **So did you like what I had in store for Estel? (grins) I'm glad I'm still managing to keep you anticipating each new chapter! Thank you for reviewing!!!

**Lady Leeanne: **(locks Dagron in closet) I _would _let you throw your dirty Kleenexes at him, Leeanne, but I'm afraid that might scare him off, and I still have need of him if I'm to finish the story... (at least if I want any ending other than "...and they all had a change of heart and decided to let him go, apologize for the inconvenience, and disappear into the sunset, never to do anything villainous again..." : ) After I'm done with him, I'll let you pin him up on your wall and you can do whatever you want with him. But rest assured, Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas all share your sentiment towards all the "creepy guards", LOL. Wait a minute - I've got an idea! (scans cast of characters and points to one of the guards) Hey you, come here! (guard looks nervous) Come on! (Nefhiriel grabs panicking guard and drags him over to Leeanne) Look, here's a superfluous guard you can have as your VERY OWN! Feel free to do WHATEVER you want with him (it could be very interesting to see the effect your "killer feet" would have on this one...), mellon-nín, he's all yours! ("superfluous" guard screams as he's tossed into Leanne's room) Well, I won't keep you long since you now have..."work" to do... (grins) BTW, if you ever get bored of "Mr. superfluous guard", please recycle him, so that I can clean him up and pass him on for further readers' enjoyment : ) Thank you, mellon-nín! (Ooo, and you were sly to get past Polly: older sisters can be so hard to outdo sometimes : )

**Mornflower: **Oh no, you're sick?! Ack! I hate it when that happens : ( I was actually sick when I wrote this chapter, so I guess this is just a...sick...um...sort of a chapter, LOL. I hope you're feeling better soon. Glad you didn't think that there was anything wrong with the chapter : ) Thank you so much for taking the time (even though I'm sure you're feeling terrible!) to review for me!

**polingly: **First of all, I want to warn you that I'm writing this late at night, and my brain-power isn't at its normal level...So if I say anything REALLY dumb... ; ) I don't know what's wrong with me tonight – usually I'm such a night owl! But I really wanted to push and get all my responses typed up tonight, since tomorrow's is going to be pretty busy. (sniffs) But my back hurts...(sniff) And I'm so tired! Ack! (smacks herself) Quit whining Nefhiriel! Enough about me and my nocturnal problems, LOL. I'm glad that you didn't think the chapter was bad – it IS dedicated to you after all : ) Aww, poor Aragorn (why am I continually saying that...), things just keep getting worse for him! I'm glad you liked that one part I wrote, I tried very hard to get into Aragorn's perspective. Oh, but I resent that, Estel, I am NOT in cahoots with SAURON!!! OK, so I MIGHT hang out with the Ringwraiths occasionally... (grins) Anyways...Thank you so much for continuing to encourage me and support me with your reviews, it means so much to me! Oh, and one more thing, about the death threat: be SURE to take a turn with the superfluous guard I gave Leeanne – throw Kleenex at him or something – but don't come after the poor author with the boot knifes! In fact, if you're REALLY mad, I'm sure there's another superfluous guard hanging around here somewhere... (evil characters shrink back in terror) LOL. Thanks ESPECIALLY for the death threat, gwathel-nín : ) You sure know how to make my day...

**elvingirl3737: **EVIL?! Naw... the poor villains are just...misunderstood...(receives disbelieving glares from reviewers) OK, so they DO have a _slightly _nasty streak... LOL. Yes, and it was a wonderfully fiendish idea to not let the Estel sleep...Wish I'd been the one to come up with it : ) Actually, I got the idea from reading one of Baroness Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel books (Eldorado). I probably should have said something about that in the last chapter, but being the forgetful author that I am... : b I'm very relieved that you didn't think the quality of the chapter was too horrible : ) Like I said earlier, I tend to have these panic attacks about my skills... Thanks for the encouraging review!

**HarryEstel: **Yes...I have this "little" obsession with leaving chapters on cliffies...not that you'd notice...LOL. Glad you liked it again! Hope this was fast enough : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **I have to say you remind me of my sister...(that's a _good _thing ; ) She's constantly telling me that my writings are better than I think they are. All the time I tell her: "You're my sister, you're biased, muinthel-nín." She continues to insist that she's _not_, and that other people would like my writings as well, to which I insist that I'll need more opinions before I'll believe it. Then I get wonderful reviewers (like you!) and of course all I have to say is: "Imbecamiel...They're just being _nice _to me..." Imbecamiel: "You've got a review from CASSIA, for crying out loud, how much more proof do you NEED?!" Nefhiriel: "Um...Well...She must just be being nice to me too..." Imbecamiel: "NEFHIRIEL, quit being so depressing!!!" I'm just kind of hard to convince : b Hmmm, I don't know if I want you running around in my story (it might be slightly confusing for the other readers, you know?)...But I suppose you could sneak behind scenes, between chapters, and comfort Aragorn – bring a blanket, he's shivering : ) Just don't spoil any of the lovely angst I've worked so hard to create. Sorry, I did kind of slice the poor ranger, but at least I didn't _dice _him! (viggomaniac glares) Hey! (Nefhiriel points at Acharndil) It was _his _idea! Oh, so you like my idea for not having him sleep? I'm such a genius – yes, I'm positively _brilliant_! OK, OK...So it wasn't my idea. (sighs) I got the idea from one of the Scarlet Pimpernel books (Eldorado), by Baroness Orczy. The hero, at one point, is kept awake for days (actually, by the end, it's more like weeks) as a means of torture, and I've always thought that it was _so _incredibly heartbreaking! I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it out on Estel, could I? The ungrateful Edain refuses to appreciate my creativity! I mean, most authors would have just cut him up, or something – but I'm always searching new and interesting ways to hurt him! (pats Estel) Poor guy, you just don't appreciate true art when you see (well, I guess that would be pretty hard to do if you're blind. Ok – _feel_) it. Anyhow, I suppose it's time for this rambling author to put a plug in it and let you get on with what little life you have left apart from the fan fiction world, LOL. Thank you for your continual support and encouragement!!!

**Naesse: **(blushes BRIGHT red) Thank you so much for saying that! I REALLY appreciate all the encouraging reviews you've sent me! Thank you!!!

**jacquelinestel: **I like what you said about Estel and coffee being "akin to nitro and glycerin" : ) Hehe, that sounds SO much like my brother... Oh no, a sleep deprived Estel is NOT a pretty picture...But the only people he could torment at the moment would be Acharndil, Dagron and the other "bad guys". I'd better warn Dagron: one of these days that sleepy ranger is going to turn on you – and then don't you come crying to me! It would be just what he deserved, LOL. Poor Estel. He was just telling me how he was CERTAIN that all the girls on here would rise up in his defense and come to his rescue, tell me I was cruel, and beat me into a bloody pulp for daring to harm him. You should see the look of horror on his face as he read one review after another...all "Oooing" and "Ahhhing" over my wonderful new method of torture. (grins) Poor guy... He was really counting on all of you to help him! Anyhow, thank you so, so SO much for reviewing!!!

**(counts reviews) Nine companions to talk to this insane author... So be it - you shall be the fellowship of the reviewers! (umm Elrond... I knew all this pressure would get to him eventually... : )**

**A special thanks to Someone Reading, Amlee and midnightwolf3 for adding me to your authors alerts!**

**I just _have _to say it once more – THANK YOU!!! (huggles squirming reviewers) I LOVED each and every review SO much!**

**The next chapter is titled: "Keep on Going", and it should be up (I'll try! This next week is going to be REALLY busy for me) Tuesday or Wednesday.**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG, and member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	9. Keep on Going

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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**A/N:** YAY! I've reached 100 reviews – **100!!!** A huge hug to all my wonderful reviewers! I never really expected to get this many for the entire story! My mom keeps asking me what I'm walking around smiling like that for : ) Sorry this chapter didn't get out earlier (you all certainly deserved it!). hasn't been letting me log in today, and yesterday was REALLY busy : P So here it is, Ladies, Gentlemen, Elves, Miar, Valar, Dwarves, Woses, Ents, Huorns Halflings, Wizards, Númenorians...etc. (I don't suppose I have any Trolls, Wargs, Nazgûl, Orcs or other such creatures among my audience?) – a new chapter! Somebody cheer already? Thank you all for your support – I LOVE all my reviewers (and all you lurkers too)! 

_-This chapter dedicated to Advil: strength and pain relief to keep on typing! Ok, so at the last minute I realized I hadn't thought of anyone to dedicate it to, and my back has REALLY been bad lately so... -_

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**Chapter 9: Keep on Going**

"They followed the tracks as far as they could. In the end they brought them to a river." Glorfindel continued his report to Elrond, "The horse was probably led from through the stream for a ways, from upstream or downstream, I don't know."

"Did they look for tracks further up and down the stream banks?"

"Yes. They searched for quite a ways too. Acharndil isn't taking any chances." Glorfindel looked over to where the twins, Legolas and Dolenil were silently listening. "It seems he's a rather good woodsman. If you do eventually pick up the trail I have no doubt you'll be sorely pressed to follow it. Unless, of course, he was so confident in his ability to lose us at the stream that he didn't take the time to cover his prints. I have a feeling that won't be the case." He paused and looked to Elrond, not quite sure how to end. All four of them looked up in surprise when they heard the amount of levity in his voice.

"One more thing before you go. Moranuen has been less than helpful with guarding Curuar, so I relieved him of guard duty and decided to send him with you."

They returned his smile. It would be good to have Mora along.

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Each moment his eyes were growing heavier, he just couldn't hold them open any longer...

"'ey their! What do you think you're doin'?" the man punctuated his words with several kicks. "Thought you might catch a few minutes of sleep 'eh?" a particularly savage blow to his already bruised ribs forced a groan from Aragorn. "Well think again!"

Now another man joined the first, chuckling and punching eagerly as a third man pulled Aragorn to his feet. Dagron's voice boomed out menacingly from the cave entrance.

"Oh, come boys, what do you think your doin', beatin' the prisoner the moment the chief's back is turned?" the blows stopped as Dagron's footsteps came closer. "Ah, the poor li'l elf-lover. Looks like you 'urt 'im!" the other men joined him in laughing. "Well," Dagron continued lightheartedly. "while the cat's away the mice will play!"

Aragon felt his rib crack as Dagron landed a square punch in his chest. He refused to make a sound, he would not give them that pleasure.

"Aren't you the tough one?" Dagron punched him in the face once, twice, three times, his stoicism only encouraging him on to more wrath. "I suppose you learned endurance from those bloody elfs, 'eh?"

Soon he hung limp between the two men, too weary to even hold his own head up. Dagron grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head up. He was astonished to see the amount of fire that still lit the ranger's eyes. Too much fire. Though he couldn't see his tormentors, he still glared straight ahead determinedly with a fierce light glowing in his eyes.

Dagron bristled with rage but decided to leave the prisoner for the moment. He could finish breaking him later. He couldn't be certain how much this man could handle. For all his defiance, he really wasn't looking too good... Dagron had no desire to find out how Acharndil would react to returning to find a dead prisoner.

Giving him a departing punch to the stomach, Dagron directed the men to leave him. The men obedientlythrew him onto the hard ground and left.

Despite the pain Aragon couldn't help but chuckle, they obviously thought him too weak to even attempt escape. He was sure he could think of some way to take advantage of this situation... He'd have to work on that. As soon as he could breath properly again and his head stopped trying to explode, that is.

Without his tormentors there to hear, he let a moan slip from his lips as he rested his aching back against the cool stone. His arms throbbed from all the hours of being pinioned behind his back and he was sure he had at least one broken rib. As much as he hated admitting it, he couldn't help but agree with the men—he felt too weak to do anything but sleep.

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Plodding along unhurriedly, Acharndil waded upstream. By the time he reached the entry point and sloshed out onto shore, he was soaked and freezing cold. Still, he smiled. It was worth it.

He stood there for a moment, water dripping off him and seeping into the sandy ground. He took a couple of strides forward before realizing that he had forgotten something. With a sigh of frustration he gathered up a pile of leaves and walked back. Carefully he spread them over the prints leading out from the waters edge. Again he strode forward, halted to look back at his work and then, with a sigh of satisfaction, continued on his way.

There were few things that Acharndil didn't take into account. He was sure he had thought of every possible threat that might disrupt his plans. But then, he never stopped to consider what the loyalty of friends and the determination of family could do: he was about to find out.

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Elladan and Elrohir crossed the small stream and began to examine the ground, Moranuen started working downstream on the other side. Legolas went to the same side as the twins and Dolenil placed himself opposite him. Immediately they commenced their hunt.

Legolas and Dolenil moved steadily on, stopping every now and then to examine a patch of ground more closely. But always their findings turned out to be nothing of importance. For hours they continued on, slowly and thoroughly.

Stooping low, Legolas crouched next to a pile of leaves. Something was wrong with the picture. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dolenil moving further upstream, and soon he was out of sight. Legolas focused on the scattered leaves before him and then up at the branches spread above him. Of course!

_And I dare to call myself a wood elf... _

He berated himself on not having noticed it more quickly. The tree above him was a gigantic Oak, the leaves spread out before him were those of a Maple. Excitedly, he brushed aside the leaves. There they were: the imprints of a horse's hooves as well as some human footprints. He brushed aside a few more leaves and followed the prints away from the water. Frustration seized him as he was forced to pause upon reaching the edge of the soft soil of the riverbank. The prints disappeared more effectively into the yielding, spongy, moss that now lay before him. Rocking back on his heels, he scanned the woods ahead, his eyes came to light on a group of trees. He smiled. It was a cluster of maple trees. The only maple trees for some distance around.

With new energy he picked up the trail. In his haste he forgot to call to one of his friends.

Often he was stumped when all the leads would suddenly dry up, then he would remember a trick Aragorn had taught him and he would find the trail once more. Each memory only proved to drive him on toward the end of the trail. But what would he find? He refused to consider whether or not Acharndil had told the truth. But the last lines of the letter continued to haunt him no matter how he tried to block it out.

..._rest assured, he is alive. How long he remains that way is up to you._

He pressed on even harder.

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The three Noldorin elves carried on their monotonous search. They were as thorough as possible, but remained utterly fruitless after hours of work. Regretfully, Elladan, Elrohir, and Moranuen began to retrace the many miles that lay between them and their starting point. The sun was far overhead by the time they reached it.

"Look, here's Dolenil." Elrohir pointed out, as up ahead Dolenil came into view.

"Dolenil, where's Legolas?" Elladan asked, not seeing his friend.

The lines in Dolenil's face drew together.

"He's not here?" his face turned a shade paler.

"No, he went with you." Elladan continued firmly, "He crossed over and went upstream with you."

"Yes, I know!" it came out a little shorter than Dolenil had meant it to, his worry becoming more apparent as he strove to keep his voice even. "I know he crossed over. We followed each other for about an hour, then I lost track of him. I haven't seen him for a couple of hours. I thought for sure, when I didn't see him, that he must have come back here."

"Well, as you can see, he isn't here." Elladan commenced to take charge of the situation. "We'll wait a bit, perhaps he's just fallen behind."

And so they waited.

Elrohir checked the horses, Elladan paced, and Moranuen watched Dolenil fidget.

"Legolas is over two thousand years old and quite grown up now. I'm sure he can take care of himself by now." Moranuen joked half-heartedly in an attempt to cheer him.

"Over two thousand years old and "quite grown up" he may be," Dolenil stopped fidgeting. "but sometimes I doubt his ability to take care of himself."

For a minute they all stared at him, not sure whether this serious, cautious Mirkwood elf had meant it as a joke. They saw his mouth quirk into a smile and laughed.

"Remind me, El, to tell Legolas about this..." Elladan taunted mischievously.

"Oh yes, certainly! I'll bet poor Legolas hadn't a clue his _faithful_ mellon said such things about him!" Elrohir smiled tauntingly.

Dolenil surprised himself with the amount of pleasure he felt at joining his companions in the simple joke. He'd never experienced something like this before. The amount of ease and familiarity with which they treated each other amazed him and he felt a strange longing to fit in.

Sadly, he found reality drawing him back to the present, his Prince was missing. How long had it been now? He would have died to save Legolas and now he couldn't help but resent the human who held so much of his loyalty. This human was endangering them all. Why was Legolas risking so much for this ranger? He just couldn't understand. Part of the conversation he'd had with Legolas sprung to mind:

"_Dolenil, if you decide to block out humans simply because you have heard of evil in their race, I can not help you. But let me tell you this: you will miss a great many true friends if you do. Estel has become even more than mellon-nín (my friend), he has become gwador-nín (my sworn brother). Even in the short time I've known him, Estel has grown to be one of the best friends I've ever known. Perhaps _the_ best."_

"_I'm sorry, I just don't understand."_

"_Perhaps not yet. But please, give the race of men a chance." _

...give the race of men a chance.

The last words echoed around in his mind. Why? Why give the race of men a chance? Men were weak, men would always be weak. Why trust someone who will only fail you? Dolenil brushed away the questions, now was the time for action. He would not let questions about this human confuse him. Right now all that mattered was finding Legolas.

Elladan, Elrohir, and Moranuen instantly noticed the change in Dolenil. His face clouded over and he resumed his fidgeting, glancing up every now and then to check for any sign of Legolas. Inwardly, they all sighed. It had been interesting to see the more relaxed side of Dolenil.

Elladan rubbed his temples.

_And I thought that Legolas was a hard one to figure. In comparison to Dolenil he's positively carefree, open and outgoing!_

He grumbled to himself.

_These Mirkwood elves... _

"I guess we'd better start looking for Legolas." he said out loud.

Dolenil surprised them a second time by how quickly he jumped up.

"Let's go."

"Wait. Some of us should stay here just in case he's already crossed over." Elladan halted Dolenil mid-stride. "Why don't Elrohir and I go across? You and Mora can wait here, Legolas might be making his way back here from this side of the stream."

Dolenil contemplated arguing. He didn't much like the thought of sitting around here waiting. But he decided against it, every moment they lingered could be dangerous for Legolas if he was in trouble.

"Very well then." he begrudgingly assented.

Elladan and Elrohir set out and quickly became engrossed in following Legolas's all but invisible trail. They both gasped in surprise when they found the prints of a human and a horse, with the slight imprint of an elven boot along side them, leading away from the stream. They became so absorbed that they made the same mistake as Legolas, letting the trail lead them onward without one look back. And so, forgetting to fill their friends in on their success, they went on. When they did finally realize their mistake they were already too far along turn back.

The path was much easier for them to follow than it had been for Legolas since they had two trails to follow. Legolas had made no attempts to obliterate his trail or keep his passage a secret, so his trail was an easy path for the trained elven eye to read.

**

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****To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**sielge: **Wow, first to review once again! Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

**Star-Stallion: **Hello! You know it's funny, I've seen and read your reviews of other peoples stories so many times...I feel like I've already met you : ) I've always thought your name was so neat, creative, and very pretty. Anyways, I'm glad you stumbled onto my story – and that you like it! It's encouraging to know that new people are still finding and reading my story. Thank you so much for reviewing, too, I can _always _use more encouragement!

**Isadora2: **Oh, I'm so glad to hear from you again! I was getting a little nervous, wondering if perhaps I said something rude by accident while I was fooling around with German phrases : ) Danka doesn't mean "buzz off" or something, does it? LOL. J/K. I just assumed that you were busy – aren't we all? This time of year can get so hectic... : b But thanks for taking the time to drop me a review! Glad to know you're still reading!

**elvingirl3737: **I'm sure glad that little scene of the twins crying was successfully touching and made you want to cry along with them. It really felt bold, making Elladan cry - almost too bold. I was worried that he might seem a bit OOC. But then, at the moment he has an adequate excuse, I think, to be acting a little odd : ) I just wanted to portray how torn he was feeling over Estel being captured, and not being able to do anything about it. Well, as always, thanks for reviewing!

**Mornflower: **Hey, just because you don't have a skit doesn't mean you're not making me laugh! Besides, _I'm _the author, _I'm _supposed to be entertaining _you_ : ) Funny reviews are just a...um...bonus. (grins) You just continue to make me laugh...whether you mean to or not, LOL. Thanks for the review!

**HarryEstel: **Foolhardy... Yes, I agree, it's always so much fun to see what rash things Legolas and the twins are going to do next in order to save Estel. I can't give anything too explicit away, but rest assured there's going to be plenty of hot-headed recklessness later on : ) Come to think of it, there was some of that in this chapter, wasn't there : ) I'm so glad you like my story! (blushes) Thank you for the review!

**polingly: **Hehehe, I actually had to have Imbecamiel figure out all the time problems for me, otherwise it probably wouldn't have been so easy to understand. I actually had all the characters going on different time scheduals! But, with a "little" help from Imbecamiel - "little" as in she spent an entire evening lying on the couch muttering: "...and if this person was here at this time, then that person should be there, but then what about THIS character _here_..." I was only able to figure it out with my amazing intellect! (Imbecamiel laughs hysterically in the background) OK, so she helped me quite a bit, and typed it all out, and is now trying to figure out the other chapters, and... LOL, she really is great : ) I'm glad Acharndil is succeeding in being thoroughly evil...(go ahead, vent your anger on a superfluous guard : ) Yeah, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of using a pre-made torture plan that Chauvelin so helpfully created with his cruel, twisted little mind : ) It was most definitely NOT smart of Aragorn to start joking about being able to sleep with his eyes open... Again I got the idea from Eldorado. I've always loved the part where Percy says he's learned how to sleep with his eyes open, LOL. I couldn't agree more, I just LOVE seeing how noble and self-sacrificial all my favorite heroes can be during...well...during what I put them through : ) Oh, all this talk about the SP reminds me: did you see that there is now an SP fanlisting on ? I just signed Imbecamiel and I up. Well, anyways...I'll try to get around to sending you an e-mail one of these days (sorry I'm taking so long!). Hannon le, gwathel-nin esse Ilúlvatar!

**Naesse: **I LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU! Um...I mean... (grins sheepishly at her outburst)...thanks? I'm glad you're looking forward to LOTS more Estel angst because I'm not even half-way through the story yet, and I haven't even BEGUN the angst : ) OK, so maybe it's BEGUN, but I'm far from done with my evil plans for the poor ranger. (maniacal laughter) (Estel glares) Sorry Estel, got to keep my readers happy, you know. (smiles innocently) Thanks so much for the review!

**Cookie: **Oh, hi again! Don't you just love it when you forget about a story, and then come back to find that the author has posted a bunch of new chapters? That's always so much fun. I'm so glad you rediscovered me : D Please _do_ pressure me! It really helps keep me posting. It's wonderful to know that you're liking it that much : ) Well, thank you so much for reviewing!!!

**jacquelinestel: **(is doing an inept effort at the Heimlich Maneuver on JE) Just in case the choking wasn't for dramatic effects... (JE turns red) We've got to make sure that M&M isn't still stuck! (JE turns pale) Lack of oxygen is not something to be taken lightly! (JE turns blue) OK, you look better now. (JE gasps as Nef finally quits squeezing her) Shame on you, Estel, for laughing at her during a life and death EMERGENCY – she could have DIED on that M&M!!! (shakes head at still unrepentant Estel) Don't mind him, he really would miss you...I think. LOL. Thanks for all the compliments! (tries to huggle a fleeing JE)

**Lizzie Blakeney: **Hi, Lizzie! It's so fun to hear from you again : D I'm glad that you think this is coming along well – I've worked very hard on it! Thank you very, very much for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **Oh no, when people start getting serious it shows me up for the weird, dramatic, and eccentric person I am! Ah well...It's really nice to have a few reviewers who'll sit down and take the time to write you a serious, well thought out review - really, I appreciate you! I think it's only right and compassionate that you cry when you run over chipmunks. If you think _that _is overreacting...When I was about eight, or so, I adopted a caterpillar and brought it home with me. I set it on the counter, but somehow it got brushed off into the sink – oh how I mourned the passing of the poor little caterpillar (really, I remember sobbing)! By the time we finally fished the caterpillar out of the water it was dead. I was so upset, that my Mom forced my poor Dad to hold a funeral service for it : ) He could barely keep a straight face, and finally he said (between laughs): "Honey, I am NOT going to PRAY over a CATERPILLAR!" We've got a whole section of our yard dedicated to being a graveyard for various hamsters, rabbits, snakes, birds...etc. LOL. Who would have ever known that I'd go from there, to end up writing this stuff... (grins) OK, I'll _try _and be serious as well. I was pretty timid about attempting OC's, so I'm glad my OC villains are evil enough for everyone. Sometime while I was writing this story, I think they must have got a little out of hand (I mean, _I _would never come up with the idea of doing all this to Estel! What? What are you looking at me like that for?). Hundreds!? Hooked on MY story!? (whistles) There's a thought that kind of blows my mind... Whahoo! You'd actually _like _this to be long and drawn out?! That's a very good thing, since, at the current rate I'm posting, this story won't be completely up until almost Christmas - I'm not even half-way through yet. And I think that many of the chapters get longer, the further on this goes (I found that, as I gained a little more experience, I began to just be able to write bigger chunks at a time and put more detail into things). I'm really enjoying posting, and getting all these reviews, but what you said about curling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate, reading an Aragorn torture fic...well, it makes me wish a had a good story to read (and the time to read it!). Well, you go ahead and enjoy yourself as you sit by the fire...(grumbles) Thanks!

**Lady Leeanne: **(fishes doorknob out of umbrella stand and tries to put it back on the door) Yep, he's in the closet, and happy to be there after all the disturbing sounds he's heard coming from outside... No need to thank me! I thank _you_! Really, you and Polly have been sooo encouraging to me! (huggles both of Leeanne and Polly) It's the least I can do. I'm sure you'll make my villains recant of their evil ways : ) Wow, Teletubbies for a month?! You are cruel, mellon-nin, CRUEL : ) Acharndil is now officially scared. Of course, it's not likely to affect his behavior too much, seeing as how he doesn't really care if he even survives, but Teletubbies truly is a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, Dagron is a bit too stupid to be scared, even by that. Besides, his mind works kind of on that same level, so who knows, he might even LIKE Teletubbies : ) The twins almost made you cry?! Legolas almost made you cry?! My characters are believable?! My ELVES are believable?! Oh, I'm so glad! OK, start back at the beginning Nefhiriel...The twins. Yes, that scene was very tentatively written, because I felt nervous having the twins actually _crying_. I don't know why, but somehow I was afraid that I might be overdoing things. I'm glad you liked the way I did Legolas, too. How to write about a race that you've never seen...Elves can be hard, especially Elrond. It's so difficult to make dialogue seem 'real' and to not make it stilted with really corny sounding Shakespearian English. You want them to sound old, like they're from the Middle Ages, but not weird...Well, I'm happy to hear that you think I'm succeeding with the enigmatical race of the Elves! I like your owl a lot, he's very cute : )

**A special thanks to Star-Stallion and ****elfstar54321**** for adding me to their authors alerts! And also to ****Nietta**** and spiritstllionofthecimarro for adding me to both your alerts and your favorite authors!**

**OK. I hope I got everyone in my responses. has been being very difficult (that, or my e-mail - maybe their in cahoots to drive me insane!) and refuses to send me review alerts, so I have to keep checking on the internet to see if I got reviews. (rolls eyes) Oh well, thanks you all SOOO much for the lovely reviews – I NEVER get bored of hearing from all of you!**

**I don't know WHAT the next chapter will be called, for the very stupid reason that I forgot to think of a title. Anyways, chapter "X" will be out Friday or Saturday : )**

**- Nefhiriel **

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & the F.F.F.F.F**


	10. Memory of Brothers

**  
The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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**A/N:** This may be a little confusing at first—stay with me!—it's not as weird as it seems : )

Oh, just one request for all of you: PLEASE no spoilers for _Between Darkness and Dawn_! I'm exercising my immense self-control, and not reading it until Cassia is finished posting it (Yeah, we'll see how long _this _lasts...).

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.

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**  
Chapter 10: Memory of Brothers**

_"You know that place between asleep and awake? Where you still remember dreaming? That's where I will always think of you." _

-Tinkerbell

_"At times when I feel all alone I think of you, and my heart heads home. Memories path will have no end, when shared with you, my wonderful friend."_

-Unknown

A soft breeze gently lifted the light curtains and wafted through the room, bringing with it scents from the garden below. It had been a perfect day in Rivendell, warm, but not too warm, with just the right amount of wind and sun.

Aragorn, Legolas, and the twins had been hunting and swimming most of the day. Elrond had been relieved to see them come home again—under their own power. There wasn't so much as a broken limb among them. The perfect day had turned into the perfect evening, and now the four of them sat together, content just to be in each others' company.

Legolas was working on few arrows and Aragorn sat close by with a book in his hands. Elladan was draped over another chair with Elrohir reclining beside him. The older twin watched Legolas through half-closed eyes as he began to fit the fletching into the end of an arrow. Slowly, a grin spread over Elladan's face.

"What El?" Elrohir sat up.

The grin widened.

"Come on! What's so funny?"

Legolas paused and Aragorn looked up from his book as Elladan started to chuckle.

"Do you find something amusing about my arrows?" Legolas's voice dared him to say yes.

"Oh no, there's nothing wrong with your arrows, they look very nice."

They all shot him quizzical looks but he just laughed all the harder.

"I do believe he's finally lost it." Aragorn shook his head. "Spit it out El, what's so funny?"

"I was just remembering a certain time when Elrohir tried his hand at arrows." he tried to stop his laugher. "The shaft was crooked, he cut himself with the tip, and when he got to the fletching the binding mixture he was using to stick them on got-"

"Elladan! That was a long time ago!" Elrohir fairly yelled. "I thought you promised that you weren't going to tell them about that!"

"I never said anything of the kind."

Elrohir sulked as everyone's amused eyes turned on him.

Still laughing, Elladan settled back into his chair. It had been a long day and, without anything to do, he fell asleep. Elrohir's lips twitched into a smile as he watched the sleeping form of his brother. Deftly, he stood and reached for a small jar of binding mixture that Legolas had on the table next to him.

"Elrohir what—"

"Shh." Elrohir interrupted the prince, putting a finger to his own lips and motioning towards Elladan.

Elrohir tiptoed over to his sleeping brother and picked up a pillow. It was all Aragorn and Legolas could do to smother their laughter as the twin poured half the bottle out onto the pillow. Gently, he lifted Elladan's head and placed the pillow under his head. Elladan stirred and for a moment they thought he would wake up, but he merely turned over - placing the side of his head directly on the pillow. Minutes ticked by. Legolas whispered to his friend:

"You really should wake him up soon, that glue it very permanent. It's already going to be extremely painful..."

Elrohir smiled and roused his brother who woke groggily and sat up, the pillow coming up with his head.

"What the—" he lifted his hand to the side up his head, opening his eyes wide when all he felt was pillow. He pulled at it and felt the suction the glue had already created, then he turned his full gaze on his brother; the innocent smile didn't fool him.

"Elrohir!" he grabbed another pillow.

Elrohir tried to avoid his aim, calling out declarations of innocence all the while.

"Come on El, you really should get that off, it's almost dry and I've heard that it's extremely painful..."

"Oh, you're going to pay for this, muindor!"

Despite his words, Elladan knew he needed to get the glue off before the pillow became a permanent appendage of his face. He tugged at it, denying all Elrohir's offers of assistance, and finally succeeded in getting it of. He gasped and put his hand to the side of his face as the glue came off. The pain subsided and he removed his hand, revealing an entirely bright red cheek. Elrohir backed up nervously as Elladan refocused all his ire on him.

"Now we're even," Elrohir smiled ingratiatingly. "right?

Deciding that he would rather not see this perfect day end in a pillow fight, Aragorn rose from his seat and placed himself between them.

"Okay, enough." Aragorn raised his hand against a pillow Elladan was preparing to hurl. "I've had enough for one day."

Elladan rubbed his sore cheek.

"You two are quite a handful, I've had my share of babysitting for one day." Aragorn continued with a yawn. "I'm ready to go to bed."

"Babysitting?!" they called after his retreating form. Legolas smirked at their mortification.

In his room, Aragorn smiled as he tried to imagine what his brothers would come up with in revenge. Whatever it was it could wait until morning... He yawned again as he changed clothes and slipped into his bed. It had been a long day. The soft covers enveloped him, he turned off the light and basked in the pale moonlight that was coming through his window.

Suddenly someone was shaking him. He yawned and turned over.

"Ada, it's not morning yet is it?"

The shaking grew rougher.

"Muindor, just a few more minutes...Seas (_please_)?"

An even rougher kick to the ribs and he jerked his eyes open—open to a nightmare. He was still blind. He was still in a cave full of men who's greatest pleasure was causing pain. And, worst of all, there was still a pitiless man seeking revenge on his brothers. He closed his eyes again wearily, keeping his head turned toward the wall.

"The chief wants a word with you."

He was too exhausted to even care who the voices belonged to anymore.

"Come on pick 'im up."

"You don't suppose we went too far Dagron? I mean what if the chief notices he's worse off 'an usual?"

"Oh quit your worrying, you blubbering idiot! I've told you before and I'll tell you again: thinking was never your strong point—and it isn't now! So you just leave that to me. Now, come on. We'll be in plenty of trouble if we don't get 'im out there soon."

Aragorn felt a small twinge of pleasure at hearing the amount of worry in Dagron's voice. Apparently he did look pretty badly off, lying here on the ground. Well he wasn't about to get up and give them the pleasure of seeing just how much spirit he still had left. Let them worry and think him half dead for awhile.

At first he didn't so much as show any signs of consciousness. Then a rough, and unfortunately quick, pull brought him to his feet and sent his head spinning. His eyes shot open before he had a chance to think.

_Valar, that little charade was over quickly..._

"Ah, so 'e does move!" Dagron remark sarcastically. "You 'ad me worryin' for a minute there, elf lover."

_Why does he insist on calling me that every time? He could get a little more creative. Strange how he says it like it's the worst kind of insult he can think of... I could think of a few more derisive names to call him. But then, that doesn't take much, does it?_

He could very well be being led to his death, or more likely torture. But his stupid, stupid sense of humor continued to ramble on in it's own little commentary.

_Split personalities is always a possibility..._

Why couldn't the cruel little voice in his head just be quite and give a doomed man a little time to think?

_Alright, don't start screaming at yourself, Aragorn. Control, control, think control..._

The hot touch of sun brought him out of his schizophrenic reverie. Once more Aragorn found himself between two of the men, this time roughly being dragged from the cave. He shivered in pleasure as he traded the cold dankness of the cave for the sunlight; however, he didn't have much time to bask in the welcome change of temperature. It was a short trip and from the onset he knew his destination wouldn't be pleasant. Forced into kneeling position, he listened as Acharndil addressed him in his smooth voice.

"Well ranger, by now your 'family' is sure to have gotten my message."

Aragorn refused to even lift his head.

"Yes, it should arrived at Rivendell by now."

He still refused acknowledge him.

"How does it feel to know that you are causing them so much pain?"

Dagron forced his head up.

"Come on, answer 'im!"

Aragorn wouldn't answer—why would he? It was so futile!

"Tell me, how does it feel to be the bait we're using to catch these murdering, shameless elves?" Acharndil continued to goad, curious to see if there was still a spark left in this "elf lover". He got more than he bargained on.

The same fire Dagron had noted earlier in Aragorn's eyes sprang back to life and he spoke with an equally calm but commanding voice.

"Murdering? Shameless? I thought you'd spent time among the elves, time enough to know them better than that. Elves are called to be warriors at times, are called to battle to defend their homes—that is something every race does. Besides, you of all people have no right to be speaking of murderers."

"You are wrong there. It was not murder, it was revenge."

"Revenge? Revenge for what! What harm has my family ever done to you?"

"Oh, none to me."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Let me ask you something. Let's say I had your brothers right here next to me bound and completely subdued—completely under my power."

"You don't, you couldn't—"

"Not so fast, not so fast." Acharndil cut him off. How he relished the panic he'd heard rise in that impenetrable mantle of calm. "I didn't say I had them. I merely said, let's _say_ I had them."

"Enough playing around! What is it that you want? Why do you hate my brothers?"

"All in good time, my impetuous ranger. Now were was I... Ah, yes. Let's say I had your two brothers here, and let's say that wood-elf, too, for good measure. What if I were to order my men to plunge their daggers into their hearts. Or better yet, allow Dagron here the opportunity of a little 'fun'? What would you say to that?"

"I would say that you're the basest coward, the most black-hearted snake I've had the _pleasure_ of meeting—and I'd kill you! I swear you would die a slow and agonizing death within the hour you'd ordered such a deed!"

"I see." Acharndil said detachedly with maddening unconcern. "Then you and I have more in common than you know."

"We have nothing in common!"

"Ah, but we do. You see, those are the same thoughts that have been driving me for over thirty years. I haven't been able to exact my revenge as soon as I'd hoped. But as long as it's done in the end..."

"My brothers couldn't have ever done anything evil enough for this kind of hatred. They don't have it in them! I know them."

Acharndil watched him, mesmerized. His voice sounded so earnest. His eyes blazed with such implicit trust and certainty.

_Those eyes, they reminded me so much of... No, I won't think about that, I won't think about Hadron now. This man is a tool; a tool I will use to reap my harvest of vengeance._

He forced himself to focus on what was being said.

"Are you so sure?"

"Completely."

"Well, then it may interest you to know that your brothers are responsible for the deaths of three innocent humans: a woman, a child, and a man. Now what do you think of your brothers? Can they still do no wrong? Maybe you don't consider these deaths a wrong?"

Acharndil's voice had lost all of it's control in the heat of his anger. Aragorn was taken aback. He knew his brothers would never have intentionally killed innocent people.

"No matter what you say, I know they would _never_ deliberately kill a child, a woman, or an innocent man on purpose. You must be mistaken. Please believe me, they couldn't have done it."

Acharndil looked into the sightless but pleading silver eyes. The same uncomfortable images of another person resurfaced.

_Always so determined, so hopeful... _

For a minute, staring in the silver eyes he could almost imagine that his younger brother was in front of him.

_Yes, the same persuading look, the same innocence. No stop, before it's too late. This man is not Hadron, he is nothing like my brother. He even calls Hadron's murderers "brothers". He is nothing more to me than a way to get at my enemies. Nothing more. Nothing more, nothing more..._

Repeating the words wasn't enough. He had to forcibly rip his gaze away from the rangers. If he didn't, he was reasonably sure he would go crazy from their intense similarity to those of his brother's.

_You're getting soft Acharndil. _

No! He wouldn't be soft. He was determined not to let these feelings of pity get in the way.

_Then prove it._

He would prove it. Never would he let this soulful-eyed boy get in his way. How old was he? Twenty? Twenty-two?

_Hadron would have been about that old... If he had survived! If _they _hadn't killed him!_

He had waited thirty years for vengeance.

He would wait no longer.

Aragorn tensed when he caught the faint sound of a whispered conversation going on between Acharndil and... Who else? Oh, that was Dagron. He would recognize that chuckle anywhere. Chuckle? What would cause Dagron to chuckle... Elbereth Gilthoniel, this didn't look good. At least not for him. As Dagron approached he could almost feel the pleasure radiating from him.

He couldn't be sure, but he thought that three or four men joined in the 'fun'. The blows came fast and furious and his depleted state consciousness was quickly loosing it's hold on him. Somewhere behind him he heard Acharndil order the men to stop. He didn't know what happened next, for he quickly fled to a realm of blissful, carefree oblivion.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**If some of my responses seem kind of weird, just chalk it all up to a very late night... (note to self: for future reference, watching Alfred Hitchcock's _The Birds _with your pet parakeet in the middle of the night is not generally considered a brilliant idea ; )**

**Reviewer responses: **

**Star-Stallion: **Yeah, I know there are a lot Legolas-angst fans out there (poor guy : ). Unfortunately for you, Legolas isn't going to get a huge part of the physical pain in this story, but I can assure you that he'll be going through a TON of mental agony (that's the second best to elf-torture, right?). Legolas just gets beat up so often in Cassia and Sio's stories that I decided he needed a vacation – your turn Aragorn! (Aragorn glares and Nefhiriel glares back) I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you just don't appreciate us authors – either of you! (Aragorn mumbles something about "having a perfectly good life before we started messing with it") But anyways, I don't plan on letting Legolas be pain-free for too long, all good things must come to an end... Yep, I have plans for him, too, in upcoming stories (if poor Legolas were ever to stumble upon the notes for my upcoming stories he'd probably die of fright!). (grins evilly) Thank you for all the compliments, and thank you for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **I'm afraid that I won't be using the title "Angst That A Shame", but not because it's lame – it just doesn't meet my obsessive quota of three words : ) Will Aragorn be alone in his misery much longer? Now you know perfectly well that that is something I can't divulge : ) But what I will say, is that I tried to drag out his captivity for as long as possible (I couldn't go ruining a perfect opportunity for prolonged angst!). And can't say enough how happy I am to hear that you find Dolenil interesting! (jumps up and down) When I first started writing this story, he was just "suspect #2". His description was "grouchy Mirkwood elf", but then I gave him a name (fatal mistake, but he had to have one) and suddenly BAM – he wasn't a faceless nobody anymore. That's pretty much how I come up with OCs...By accident. I'm really glad he's not boring or annoying. I've been _really_ nervous about trying to use OCs. Hmm...(pauses to consider) Those are some very important questions, requiring a good answer. Which I don't have. Sorry : ) Don't worry though, _real _help isn't on the way for a quite a bit (look at me, giving spoilers away : b ). Learning the difference between words like "loose" and "lose" is something that Imbecamiel has really driven me to do, since it drives her insane when I'm continually making those kind of mistakes. It annoys me, but doesn't surprise me, that I got "their" and "there" mixed up...I just like to blame it on the fact that I've got ADD _and_ dyslexia (as if that's not enough, I've got a brother with ADHD bouncing around behind me _and_ watching golf as I try to write : ) But no, I really don't mind in the least having my mistakes pointed out, and then, if I ever post this somewhere else, I'll be able to do a "viggomaniac edit" with the help of your reviews : ) You balance your criticisms so considerately with praise and humor, that I don't think I _could _be offended if I tried : ) "Poor Aragorn" does roll nicely off the tongue. (grins) I already did check out your C2 community, but the problem is, our tastes in stories are so similar, that I've already read ninety percent of the stories you've archived! But I still subscribed, in hopes that you'll let me know about any good stories I might miss : ) Well, thank you for your encouragement! Oh, and don't worry about making mistakes in reviews...I probably won't notice : ) In fact, I was so busy laughing at your _other_ comments, that I didn't notice the mistake : ) But hey, your error got me another review – I'm not complaining, LOL.

**jacquelinestel: **Every time I read your reviews I come away with the most hilarious pictures - Aragorn is being a snot, and Legolas is laughing hysterically...LOL. To look at your review, you'd get the idea that out of the three of you, you're the only sane person : ) Just how exactly did they end up sleeping in your _washer_ and _dryer_ of all places?! Well, I hope you recover from the Heimlich – and let me know how you solve the problem of a hysterical Legolas, LOL. The chinchilla might get him? Interesting. Very interesting. Might I ask _how_ those two got on the wrong side of a chinchilla? And here I thought elves were supposed to be good with animals... Thank you, it's so exciting to have finally reached the triple digits! Thanks for reviewing, too! (huggles)

**sielge: **Glad you're liking it more and more! Thanks!

**Naesse: **Glad you like it, and glad you like it LONG! I'll do my best to "keep it coming" on time : ) Thank you!

**Lord Elrond of Hogwarts: **(hurls herself at LEoH in an attempt to huggle her, but only succeeds in knocking her over) Oh, sorry! (helps LEoH up before recommencing to squeeze the breath out of her) THANK YOU! (finally lets go) That was SO nice of you to go back and review ALL the previous chapters! And you said so very many flattering things too...In the league with CASSIA AND SIO?! Now _that _has got to be one of the biggest compliments about my writings that I could ever hope to get! I'm thrilled to have the "official stamp of approval" from a devoted MC fan : ) Being the MC addict that I am, you can imagine my amazement and delight upon getting two (I got an e-mail from her because her computer wouldn't let her post a review) reviews from Cassia, whom I consider (along with Sio, of course) to be one of the very best fan fiction writers ever. LOL, yes, it might be a good idea to refrain from morbid saying till everyone's safely home : ) (smiles innocently) Don't worry, I have NO intention of harming any of the good guys... (smile falters)... beyond repair... (smile turns positively evil) ...Yet. You liked _The Secret Window_, then? I confess, it scared me half to death (I'm easily frightened by movies : b ) – I really wasn't expecting Johnny Depp to end up being the murderer! Anyways... I really appreciated the detailed review on chapter 8: it was very helpful to know exactly what you liked about it. I love writing (or trying to write!) Elladan's mind. Elladan, being the protective older brother that he is, is of course torn in two trying to save both of his brothers. Oh, and I'm happy to hear that you like my strange sense of humor : ) Well, I'm so glad you liked my story! Thank you SO much for all the encouragement! WOW – 9 reviews from one person in one chapter! You have no idea how much I appreciate that! (runs off to hyperventilate)

**elvingirl3737: **BAD ELVES! That's exactly what I've been telling them! (alternately slaps Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas' wrists) VERY, VERY naughty! (grins) Nope, not good at all, LOL. You think "whomping" would really make Estel feel better? Well, if it at least makes _you _feel better, then I'll be only too happy to oblige : ) Thanks!

**Mornflower: **That's right, Legolas, you don't have to be a hotdog ...Everybody already IS in love with you : ) Poor, Estel...We all love you too! (huggles wriggling ranger) As for _you _Legolas – have you been spying on the poor, lonely ranger while he's talking to his rubber chicken? You really shouldn't. What goes on between Estel and his chicken is their own business, and it's rude to eavesdrop. LOL. Anyways...Hope this was soon enough for you! Thanks! (huggles Morn)

**HarryEstel: **Doomed, doomed, doomed... Yep, that's them alright! Despite the fact of their ability to get into trouble (or rather their inability to stay _out _of it!), and the impending angst, I hope I'll still be able to slip in a few surprises : ) Thanks!

**Anorwen06: **Hi! How's your wrist? I hope it's feeling better. I had a lot of fun writing both Legolas' and the twins' reactions to Estel's captivity...and the way Dagron is treating him... In order for the results to be more dramatic, you really have to pack the angst in - which results in a lot of "poor Estel". I'm glad you think that Acharndil is a great villain (don't worry, I know what you mean ; ), I worked extremely hard on him. As for whether or not he'll be knocked off that lofty perch of his...well, that would be giving away the story, now wouldn't it : ) Hmmm, as for why you end up reading my story when you should be doing school... maybe for the same reason I'm always responding to, or reading your reviews when I _should _be folding laundry? LOL. Thanks for the ramble! (huggles)

**polingly: **Thank you SO much for the complements on the way I'm doing Aragorn! It's do good to know that I'm able to be consistent. Poor POLLY! It sound like you've had just about every painful medical problem known to man : ( At least you can _really_ sympathize with Aragorn : ) Hmm, you might want to be careful with those nails. This story won't be finished till about Christmas time, and by that time they could be pretty dangerous. You wouldn't want to hurt someone... (aside from that superfluous guard, of course : ) I'm so glad you thought the part with Legolas finding the tracks was good! Nope, those bad guys never do take everything into account, do they (grins) Of course, even if they did, they'd still have to deal with all the furious fans once they'd succeeded – definitely not a pleasant thought LOL! You like Dolenil? YAY!! I wasn't very confident about introducing OCs, and I was SO nervous that people might just find him annoying or boring : P Thanks so much for the review, gwathel-nín!

**A special thanks to jacquelinestel for adding me to your favorite authors!**

**There you have it – my pitiful attempt to explain Acharndil's twisted mind... (apparently it's so twisted even the _author _can't figure it out!) At least partly. There will be a more complete explanation of his motives later. Frankly, I didn't want the typical "bad guy spilling his life's history out in one long rant for no apparent reason" : ) The next chapter will be called... (triumphantly produces title) "Above All Shadows". As usual, I hope to have it out Wednesday or Thursday.**

**Thank you all SO much for the lovely reviews!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG and the F.F.F.F.F **


	11. Above All Shadows

****

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**A/N:** First off, I didn't have the time to give this chapter quite the final editing and polishing I would have liked. It was either post it now, or wait 'til who-knows-when. I figured you would rather have it now, than wait. I apologise in advance for any problems or lower quality dialogue.

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.

**

* * *

****Chapter 11: Above All Shadows**

_"In loneliness, in sickness, in confusion-the mere knowledge of friendship makes it possible to endure, even if the friend is powerless to help. It is enough that they exist. Friendship is not diminished by distance or time, by imprisonment or war, by suffering or silence. It is in these things that it roots most deeply. It is from these things that it flowers."  
_

-Pam Brown

_Fuin_. Darkness. Always darkness.

Whether he closed his eyes or opened them, it made no difference.

He had finally drifted back from his comfortably unconscious state and was in more pain then he would ever care to admit. Right now lying around drinking his ada's nasty brews almost sounded attractive...

Weariness. Exhaustion. Worry for his brothers. Guilt at the part he was being forced to play. Frustration at his own helplessness. Determination to, somehow, stop Acharndil. And now, fear that he was going crazy.

These thoughts continually assaulted Aragorn's completely worn-out brain. After almost eight days of incessant sleeplessness his thought patterns were beginning to drive him to the edge. He was afraid that he might not just be precariously tottering on the brink of insanity anymore. What if he was already past that point?

Around and around his thoughts whirled from one worry to the next until his brain would shut down and refuse to go on. It took too much effort to slow his thoughts down and he was finding it increasingly hard to retain consciousness. Often he would go out cold and could only be roused by more rough treatment from the guards, who were only to glad to lend a hand—or a foot.

Considering him too weakened to put up any form of opposition or hatch any more ideas of escape, the guards' watchfulness diminished each day. More often then not they would leave him completely alone, coming into the cave only to reawaken him. Snatching ten or fifteen minutes of sleep in between visits only to be jerked back was proving to be one of the worst tortures he had ever experienced. And that was saying a lot.

At intervals, without warning, overpowering waves of almost dizzying weariness would draw him away with magnetic strength. Aragorn had, by now, found a way to solve this. They were becoming more frequent in number and each invitation to sleep was more alluring than the last. But if he fought long enough the weariness would eventually melt away. The attacks left him wide awake to all appearances, but physically drained. Sometimes he seemed to be functioning purely on a mixture of adrenalin and willpower. Why that willpower was there was something that he himself didn't understand. He didn't understand his own optimism and neither did he wholly understand the part of him that just wouldn't give up.

Usually, his continually bright outlook on life, even while being torn apart by Wargs, was due to the fact the he knew his brothers or Legolas would find him. Now that very fact was what was weighing so heavily on his heart. He knew they would find him, just like they always had. They would come and help him—but after that who would help _them_? This was no mindless rabble of Orcs that they could just rush in and subdue, this was a man bent on revenge with well thought-out plans.

_Oh Eru, don't let them find me!_

_This is becoming ironic,_ he thought wryly. _I'm hoping that help won't come?_

At the moment he didn't care how strange it sounded, just as long as they didn't get caught or killed. Nothing else mattered.

_Valar, let them get lost, just this once..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Legolas continued to patiently follow the trail. Tirelessly he searched for each new print. As he figured out Acharndil's favored tactics he was able to quicken his pace. The sun beat down mercilessly upon him whenever it could find a gap in the branches, but Legolas was too intent on his mission to notice.

Coming upon a small rise, his elven senses alerted him to some sounds coming from ahead. Silently Legolas crept forward. He found the rise to end in a sudden drop-off. Below that drop-off he found what he had been searching for. The rise was scattered plentifully with brush and trees growing along the ridge, so there was no lack of cover. He remained still, watching, listening, too stunned for the moment to think of his next plan of action.

The group of men below him, completely oblivious to the pair of keen blue eyes that were watching them, continued blissfully on with their reveling.

Legolas saw Acharndil, leaning back against a tree, warming himself by one of the fires. There was no doubt he had found what he wanted, but were was Aragorn? A dozen scenarios instantly sprang to mind, each worse than the last.

He focused back on the camp spread out before him. It was a fair distance away, but he could just make out what was being said. Drowning out all the others sounds, he directed all his attention on a small group of men right below the drop-off.

"He can't last long I tell you."

"None of you know what your talkin' about. This ranger'll last to give us many more days of fun. 'e's tougher than you think."

"You're probably right, as always, Dagron."

"Besides, we can't afford to lose our entertainment yet—can we boys?" Dagron and the other men all laughed.

Legolas had to bite his lip to keep from crying out in anger.

"Still, 'e's getting' worse by the hour! If you ask me, it looks like 'e's about done for Dagron."

"Well I didn't ask you for your opinion—did I?" Dagron gruffly reprimanded his subordinate.

"But you 'ave to admit it's takin' more an' more to wake 'im up. 'e must be almost dead."

"_You_, my dear Magog _would_ be dead. _He_ is another matter altogether. He's stronger 'n most and he'll survive more 'n most. You think our little bit of fun is goin' to kill 'im?" he chuckled, "Come on, don't tell me your gettin' tired of this already?"

"Don't you worry about that. I was just worried 'bout what the chief would say if one o' these morning's we couldn't get the prisoner to wake up."

"Well you just leave the worrying to me. You go an have all the fun you want with the elf lover."

"Somehow I don't think the prisoner appreciates all the attention."

"Ingratitude." one man chuckled, "That's what it is." the other men laughed with him.

"Yeah! 'ere we are spendin' all this time with 'im and all he does is groan and call out in that accursed language of 'is for '_Ada_' or some 'Legolas' fellow. Makes a body almost feel unwanted the way 'e carries on!"

Legolas had to dig his nails into his palms to keep from rushing down and throttling them. He was sorely tempted to strangle the men who talked so casually about the cruelties they were inflicting on his friend. He bit his lip until he felt the taste of blood in his mouth.

They would pay for this.

"If you'll excuse me, boys," Dagron rose from the circle of men. "it'll soon be my chance to make a trip to the cave. Better get my drink now."

His eyes made a scan of the rim. He couldn't see a cave... But, from Dagron's words, there was sure to be one further along the rim. It was probably just out of view.

Keeping low, Legolas advanced along the gradually sloping ridge. He came around a bend and found that a little way ahead the ridge ended in a sudden wall of rock. Through the trees he could see a man resting with his back against the wall down below him, and a few yards beyond him was the mouth of a cave.

_A gellam!_ (_Oh_, _joy_) He could have sworn in his frustration. _So they _are_ keeping Aragorn in a cave. This is just what I needed. _

He made his way over to a large pine that was growing parallel with the rock face. Now he had a clear view of sentry. He was sound asleep.

_Well, this one should be easy to get past_.

To his dismay, when he looked around more thoroughly, he was that there were several campfires encroaching nearly to the mouth of the cave. Now those were going to be another matter.

Most of the campfires were closer on his side of the cave entrance. So, since no other brilliant ideas came to mind, he started to skirt around the back of the cave. If he was going to make a suicidal rush, he was at least going to attempt it on the most favorable side.

_I'll just wait until it gets dark and then—_

Something caught his attention before he could finish his thought. There were muffled sounds coming from above him. Head jerked upward, arrow ready, he stood perfectly still. His eyes roved over the rock face until they came to rest on a small crevice. Some fifteen or twenty feet above him was a ledge a couple feet wide, and directly above that, there was a small cleft in the rock. Slowly Legolas replaced the arrow in his quiver. The sounds he'd been hearing must be coming from inside the cave, seeping out through the crack. He studied the rock face.

_Difficult to say. I suppose I might be able to climb it..._

It was a sheer climb, but he set about finding toeholds. Inch by inch he went until he was finally able to reach the ledge and pull himself onto it. He could hear the sounds clearly now. It was Dagron's voice he was hearing; the other sound he heard made his blood boil.

"Well look here." Dagron seemed to be talking to himself. "What do we have now? Sleepin' _again_ are we?"

Legolas heard a thump followed by a faint cry—Aragorn.

He grasped the side of the cliff to keep himself from falling as his heart began to race. One thought prevailed above all else: get to Aragorn.

With new purpose now he studied the small fissure. He steadied his precarious footing and easily slid his head and arms forward into the small space. Panic instantly ensued and he drew them back out. In his impatience to get to his friend, he had forgotten about elves' natural aversion to tight spaces, _his_ natural aversion to caves.

_Eru! What am I doing trying to fit in there?_

Another thump followed by a groan.

_I'm getting to Estel, _that's_ what I'm doing._

He slipped his head and arms back through the gap.

_I will not let this get the best of me, I will _not_ let this get the best of me..._

As he crammed himself forward, he repeated those words, endowing them with all the staying power he had left.

Because of the shape of the crack, he was forced to lay sideways.

_Things just keep getting better. _

He pressed himself further into the suffocatingly tiny space. The fragments of panic that had managed to cling to him flung themselves at him with renewed fierceness.

He was stuck.

All his worst fears were becoming manifest. Oh Valar, he was stuck! Frantically he tried to move backwards and then forwards—he couldn't move! No, this isn't happening! His mind screamed in blind panic while his body seemed to freeze in tense overload. One sound pierced through his clouded reason:

"No one'll ever find you 'ere, elf lover. And not even your own family thinks you're worth the bother of bargaining over. So you may as well throw away all thoughts of rescue. No one's comin'. Poor li'll ranger, left all alone."

Ironically it was Dagron's mocking voice that brought sanity back to Legolas's thoughts.

_I'm coming, mellon-nín. _

He would _not_ focus on his fears. They were pitiful in comparison to the nightmare his friend must be living.

_Now think logically_.

He forced his breathing to slow. The irony of this situation would have made him laugh—if he had been anywhere else.

_Prince Legolas, son of King Thranduil, killer of countless Orcs, Wargs, Spiders, and other evil creatures, a warrior of Mirkwood... Yes, he's finally met his match. This small crack has been his undoing. A small crack, a _very_ small crack._ He added mentally. _Legolas, these jokes aren't helping with your claustrophobia..._ _Great, now I'm talking to myself. Ai! Tight spaces do strange things to my mind... _

Now that his panic had somewhat subsided he was able to think more clearly. He exhaled and drew in his stomach as much as he could. Yes, now he could maneuver better. Making himself as small as possible, he burrowed forward. Find a handhold, pull forward. Find a handhold, pull forward. He found a rhythm and focused on it. His legs were now completely in so he pushed with them as well. Find a handhold, pull forward, push with legs. Find a handhold, pull forward, push with legs.

Incredulity and disbelief at what he was doing would come later; for now he just wanted to find the end of the tunnel and get to Aragorn.

_How much further can this go?_

A drop of sweat rolled down his face and, as much as he disliked admitting it, his muscles were becoming sore. Even after this minimal time, the strain of being underground was taking it's toll.

_Only for you mellon-nín, only for you... _

Legolas peered ahead into the darkness and saw, with intense relief, a faint light. In a last effort he covered the last few feet, then he realized with a start that Dagron was still in the cave. If he hadn't been in danger of being heard, he would have groaned. In his hurry to get in he'd forgotten that the man would still be there. Emerging sideways from this crack in the wall would leave him in an extremely vulnerable position, he wouldn't possibly be able to get out and gain his feet — not to mention his bearings — before Dagron and who-knew-how-many other men could get to him. Besides, there was the small matter of his having been forced to leave his weapons behind in order to fit into the crack

_How wonderful, _he rested his head as best as he could in his awkward position_, now I can just lie here until that idiot decides to leave._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Aragorn chose to ignore Dagron. It was obvious that no good behavior on his part would win him any favor. That much was clear. The man had it out to get him and he would find problems with whatever he did. Not that it really mattered anymore, he hardly registered the abuse.

_Then why am I groaning? _

Somehow he felt like he was loosing control of his own body. He just couldn't make it do what he wanted it to do. His eyelids were becoming especially wayward. One minute they would be open and the next, would close without ever consulting him. He'd known weariness before, but never like this.

So he sat there, not registering Dagron's words or kicks. He knew all the words the man spoke were lies, said only to hurt him and, if he could, he would rather not feel the physical pain either. After awhile he vaguely heard the man leave.

Dagron's footsteps had hardly diminished before something else caught his attention. Behind him he heard a slight scuffle.

_Without any sleep I knew it would eventually come to this. I'm finally hearing things._

At the back of the cave he heard a muffled grunt followed by what sounded like a shower of loose rock.

_Well, maybe it isn't just my imagination._

Then everything went still again. Well if he wasn't hearing things... rats?

_Funny, I don't recall noticing any rats here before..._

**

* * *

****To Be Continued... **

**Reviewer responses:**

**Kathira: **(pats Legolas) Yep, this elf's going to get the next couple of months off - at least in my story : ) But as for our dear little ranger...He's an entirely different matter! (grins evilly) Of course, eventually I'll have to end Legolas' little vacation. Well, if _you're _sick, then I guess we've all caught the same illness, LOL. Thank you SO much for the review!

**jacquelinestel: **'How much harm can they do?' – those are some famous last words : ) Hehehe, I thoroughly cracked myself up trying to picture Legolas conversing with the chinchilla in his native language...on the floor. (giggles) Oh, and the poor chinchilla! It sounds like it's having difficulties overcoming the trauma (I hope its hair grew back quickly!)...But then, it sounds like so are Legolas and Estel: the wimps. So THAT is how they ended up in the washer and dryer...hmm, interesting little saga. (sighs) OK, time to be serious...I'm glad you're liking the "baddie" : ) Um, Estel, I hate to tell you this...but it just gets worse. I'll leave you with that last cheerful thought. (grins evilly) Thank you! I love getting novel-length reviews. (sighs contentedly and scrolls back to top of JE review to start re-reading) Now _this_ is my kind of therapy...

**Star-Stallion: **33! Wow, you've _almost _got as many plot-bunnies as me! I'm hopelessly surrounded by vicious little bunnies... I think I've got nearly 50 roughly outlined stories planned, and right now I'm in the process of writing 3 more, as well as touching up on this one as I post. (takes deep breath) I got to keep going, otherwise these plot bunnies will overrun my house! (takes another deep breath) Sorry to go on like that. Oh, I'm so glad you like the bit with Elladan and the pillow : ) It was a lot of fun to write, and provided me with a break from writing all that angst (despite what some may think I'm really not cruel by nature, and don't _enjoy _hurting characters... : ). Well, I'll try to keep updating regularly – thanks so much for the review!

**HarryEstel: **Oh good, I'm happy I didn't confuse you : ) I'm so glad I succeeding in making you laugh! I try to add some humor in-between the angst, just to lighten things up a bit. (huggles) Thanks for continuing to review!

**polingly: **What?! You didn't review IMEDDIATLY?! REALLY Polly, you're falling down on your job!!! Oh. I see. It wasn't _your _fault, hmm? I shall have to have a talk with your sister...LOL. J/K. I'm happy to hear from you ANY time! Oh no! You're going to be GONE?! I'll miss you so much! Yeah, I know, you might not believe how much I really do value our friendship and LOVE talking to you, considering how long it takes me to get back to your e-mails, but I REALLY will miss you. I actually AM in the middle of typing up a decent reply to your e-mails (and about time too!), which I will send as soon as I can get it finished. One bit of "good" news about the time you'll be gone: I may actually end up being gone and/or without internet connection for part of that time, so you may not miss _quite_ that many posts : ) I'm actually glad you're starting to feel just a tad sorry for Acharndil. I didn't want him to be the proto-type villain who has absolutely no remorse about (or reason for) any of the horrible things he's doing. And he did have a very traumatic, sad childhood (which you'll get to hear about in more detail later). But I _did _want everyone to still yell and scream at him, because (you said it perfectly): that's no excuse to go around making everyone ELSE have a horrible life! I can't say enough how relieved I am to hear that you like my sense of humor, er, that is, Aragorn's sense of humor ; ) I don't think you're likely to meet up with many squeamish people on here... (just consider that they're blatantly asking me to make Aragorn's day worse!) Oh, one last thing – I want to see your drawing!!! I'm haunting my inbox in hopes of an e-mail from you (no pressure or anything...JUST GET IT FINISHED!!! ) Hehehe...J/K : ) But I really am extremely excited about seeing it (just ask Imbecamiel). Namarie, mellon-nin (and hannon le for being such a faithful friend and reviewer!).

**Mornflower: **OK, I'd have to say the thing that made me laugh the hardest this time was Estel wiping his glue-covered hands through his hair and getting them stuck - you just keep giving me these hilarious visuals! What's this about you being the Gingerbread Man? Why do I sense an interesting story? LOL. Oh, and Legolas' line at the end was pretty good too : ) I hope all three of you have fun building popsicle stick figures... Thank you!

**Lord Elrond of Hogwarts: **Acharndil is Arathorn's brother....Wow! Now there's a theory I'd never stopped to consider! I didn't realize all the parallels I'd made between that story and this, but now that I compare them... Nope, the twins would never kill innocent people unless they _weren't _innocent people (you make perfect sense : ). (snickers) Hehehe, so for a minute you actually thought I'd let Acharndil capture the twins! Like I'd do that...(smiles innocently) I think Aragorn feels the same way as you about the word "fun", he's going to go into hysterics every time anyone says "lets go have some fun". Poor ranger : ) Oh yeah, you put that description of Dagron and his friends perfectly: "...four men who probably don't make up one brain together! But they sure make a lot of fists..." – definitely describes them well, LOL. (takes deep breath) Yep, I'm finally beginning to calm down from all those wonderful reviews you sent me. I'm glad you understand how much authors crave reviews : ) This is my first really big LotR story, and it's also the first time I've gotten over ten reviews for a story – but now that I've had my first taste of what it's like to get feedback... Well, all my fantastic reviewers have spoiled me with their encouragement to the point were and I am now officially addicted : ) I'm glad you liked the way I did Elladan's mind, in one of these chapters I even delve into Elrond's mind...scary. I'm also glad you liked the dream, I felt like the story needed a reprieve from angst – if only for a little while. (grabs Elladan by collar) Leave her alone, Elladan, and just calm down. Chasing her won't do any good. Everyone loves seeing you and Elrohir fight, argue, pull pranks on each other – and generally embarrass yourselves! So get used to it... (clears throat) Anyways, thank you so much for feeding my addictions : )

**Darkening Dreams: **I hope this is soon enough : ) Thank you for reading my story, and taking the time to review - I'm so glad to hear that you like it!

**Naesse:** Good, I'm glad you liked the way I did Acharndil. He was a very...interesting villain to write : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **(sticks out tongue) Between you and Imbecamiel I'll NEVER keep my resolution! Grrr... (scowls and rolls eyes at a smirking VM, who is tauntingly pointing to her screen with the first chapter of BDD on it) I actually made this same resolution for SoD – I don't think I even lasted the first day. So you see, I'm becoming more and more self-controlled – I've already lasted THREE whole chapters! (cheers loudly) And now I _have _to keep my resolution, I couldn't bear to have you all laughing at my downfall. (sighs) Yeah, I wish I knew more languages too. Then I could thank you and tell you how grateful I am in a different language each time, and maybe I wouldn't sound so repetitive... I guess we'll both just have to settle for being repetitive : ) But for my part, I just enjoy hearing from you! That's right, Legolas, keep her truthful! Don't worry, just remember you have a very severe sickness...But your Doctor gave you a prescription, and I'm doing my best to fill it for you. (frowns and mutters to self) I wonder if this sickness is curable, or whether she's just a terminal case...(shrugs) Oh well. (opens book titled "How to say 'Thank You' in a Million different languages") Domo arigato! (Japanese)

**elvingirl3737:** Oh, I'm glad you liked the flashback/dream! It was an extremely fun scene to write : ) I though you might enjoy a little ranger whomping (don't worry, I've gotten used to your... interesting way of talking about poor Estel's painful situation ; ). That does make me feel better, knowing that my villain is working out realistically. Self-control...Is that what you call it? I call it self-torture! But yeah, it will probably be ultimately less painful just to wait until it's all posted to begin reading : b At least I won't have to suffer through any of Cassia and Sio's notorious cliffies : ) Thank you!

**Well, I'm really looking forward to posting the next chapter! It's one of my personal favorites, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what you all think of it! It should be out Friday or Saturday, as usual, and will be called "You're Not Alone".**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	12. You're Not Alone

****

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel ****

* * *

**A/N: **There's not a whole lot I've got to say today...(readers cheer)(Nefhiriel gives "the look") Well there's no need to sound so happy about it! Anyways, this is one chapter that I really worked hard on (in fact, it turned out to be one of the longest in the story!) and it's one of my favorites, so please let me know what you think! 

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at the end.

* * *

**Chapter 12: You're Not Alone**

Finally_ the big lug has decided to leave. This claustrophobic elf, for one, is truly grateful._

Not only did prolonged time in tight spaces do funny things to his head, it was turning out to make him irritable as well

_I hadn't counted on this extended stay, normally I don't spend my vacations in holes, _he began to struggle out of his awkward position. _But thanks to you I am uncovering my deeper emotions on the subject. Oh yes, my emotions run _very_ deep on this subject... _Legolas's mood improved slightly upon getting out of the dreaded hole. Slightly. He _was_ still in a cave, after all.

One thing that had been driving him crazy was that he couldn't see his friend. He could hear him and occasionally see Dagron but he hadn't yet seen his friend. The cave split off into two rooms: the one Legolas came out into seemed to be the storage room for all the camp supplies, the other one was obviously being used to hold the prisoner. Now the wall of rock that divided the two rooms was all that stood between him and Aragorn.

Half staggering, working the blood back into his cramped limbs, he ran to the doorway and entered the other room. There he was. Aragorn must have heard something for, under his breath, he muttered something almost inaudible.

"So I've finally come to the point were I'm having hallucinations. Eru, I could have sworn I heard something..."

"You did Estel. It's me, Legolas."

"Wait a minute, I thought with hallucinations you saw things."

"No Estel listen—it's me!"

"Legolas?"

_His voice was so incredulous... I could have gotten here sooner, I _should_ have gotten here sooner! _

"Mellon-nín, is it really you?"

"Yes, I've come at last."

Legolas stepped further into light shed by the few guttering torches that lined the walls. His friend was in horrible shape.

"How did you..." Aragorn didn't need to finish the question.

"I found a gap in the back of the cave."

Even in his dire plight the ranger continued to try and lighten the mood with a joke.

"And just how small was this 'gap'?"

"Oh, I don't know. Small enough."

"Let me get this straight: _you_ crawled through a small crack in the wall so you could get _into_ a cave? Please tell me what you have done with the _real_ Prince of Mirkwood."

"And what's to say that the _real_ Prince of Mirkwood wasn't brave enough to do all that just to get to his friend?"

"Hmm, it's possible." Aragorn seem to consider it for a minute. "But the genuine Legolas wouldn't have made such a noisy entrance."

"Why you—"

Aragorn's smile quickly dissipated and was exchanged with a grimace of pain as his laughter jarred his much-abused ribs.

"Forgive me mellon-nín."

_I stand here like and idiot while his hands go numb. _

Legolas lowered himself beside his friend and reached for the ropes that held his hands tied. He was shocked, and a little hurt, when, upon feeling Legolas touch his arm, Aragorn started and then pulled away.

"Aragorn, hold still. Just let me untie you."

"No Legolas."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"You must leave."

Aragorn's voice was growing husky and Legolas began to see just how exhausted he was.

"Yes, I will leave, and I'm bringing you with me."

Again he made a move to untie him.

"No Legolas, you can't."

Paying no heed to the reproof in Aragorn's voice, Legolas leaned forward and struggled with the ropes—they were _far_ too tight. At last he succeeded in loosening them. Aragorn gasped as the blood rushed into his fingers.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Legolas continued to ignore his companions feeble objections as he looped his hands under Aragorn's arms and lifted him up. He could tell Aragorn was doing his best; his best just wasn't very much.

Aragorn tried to grasp for his friend' arm, as his feet refused to work, and Legolas had to almost entirely support him. He advanced a step, Aragorn struggling to stand and stifling a groan as bruises and broken bones were jarred. The human slipped and Legolas quickly reached out to grab his left arm. He cried out softly, as Legolas' hand unknowingly gripped his wound.

Legolas knelt by his friend, pulling back the tattered arm of his coat to examine the dagger-wound. Aragorn winced and tried to pull his arm away as Legolas loosened the bandage that Dagron had tied.

"Oh, mellon-nín, what have they done to you?"

Legolas gingerly removed the bandage and scanned the swollen, and obviously infected, wound. He looked at his unseeing friend's face, and flinched again. He had a black eye and bruises, as well as scratches, were everywhere. The sight lit new fury, and new determination, in him.

This time going to his other side, and taking him by his good arm, Legolas tried a second time to bring Aragorn to his feet.

"It's no use, I'm too weak." Aragorn said hoarsely.

"I'll find a way to get us out of here."

"How?"

Legolas allowed him to sink back the ground, but he refused to give up.

"I don't know. There's got to be a way!"

"Legolas," Aragorn was completely resigned and composed. "even if I were strong enough to help fight our way through more than twenty men, I don't have my sword. Not to mention the fact that I'm still blind and don't have enough strength in my hands to hold a weapon. And don't even think about the crack back there. Even if I had enough time between the guards' visits to attempt crawling through there in my less-than-adequate condition, I'm afraid I wouldn't fit quite as easily as you."

"I am _not_ going to leave you here to face those men alone, Aragorn. I have already left you by yourself to suffer through too much. I should have found you before this. Ilúlvatar knows I tried—but I should have tried harder. And now that I _have_ found you I _refuse_ to just leave. If you insist that there is no way out for you, then there is no way out for me either. Have all the years we spent together meant nothing to you? Won't you allow me the privilege of sharing your fate, mellon-nín?"

"You know all the years we have spent together meant so much to me," Aragorn's gaunt face was illuminated with a faint but melancholy smile. "so very, very much. But you cannot share my fate, Legolas."

"And why is that, you stubborn human?" the usually teasingly derisive epithet was said without any of its habitual amusement. "A prissy elf can meet death just as calmly as you."

"I don't doubt that. I never have."

"Then why?"

"There are more lives than just mine and yours on the line. I need you to go back and tell Adawhere I am and how many men there are." a smile, not shadowed by any sadness, full of fondness, softly lit his features. "Most of all, I need you to go back and keep my overly rash brothers from doing anything stupid. I don't think it would be wise to tell them the position of the camp. It would take every bit of your power to keep those two from rushing in here in some ridiculous, heroic, single-handed, rescue attempt."

"I just can't leave you here."

"Please Legolas, I don't have any more strength. And, despite the many tips I have gotten from my brothers over the years, you usually beat me when it comes to debating. You may be able to do it now. But please, let me win this once, when it counts the most? Other lives are depending upon you, you can't let them down."

They both jumped when they heard voices approaching the cave.

"Quick, hide in the next room!" Aragorn whispered hastily to Legolas, who complied, dashing into the next room.

How he wished he could stay by his friend's side! He clenched his fists and, with a start, realized that he was still holding the ropes. A slight hope rose up in him that the guards would find out that someone had visited the prisoner. They would search the cave, find him, and then he would be _forced_ to stay. All his hopes were soon dashed. After heaping the normal harassments, thankfully most of them verbal, the man left. Legolas stole out of his corner and found Aragorn just drawing his hands out from behind his back.

"You'll have to hurry now, they're coming more and more often." he pumped his fingers once more and then put them behind his back again. Legolas just stared at the procedure. "Is it just me, mellon-nin, or are you being particularly slow today?" Aragorn asked when his friend made no move.

"You don't actually expect me to tie you up again."

"So it isn't just my imagination—of course I need you to do it! Who else is there?"

"They would probably just think you got out yourself." he continued to shy from doing what seemed like a final act of betrayal and abandonment. Common sense told him that Aragorn was right. If the guard found him untied it would probably not go well for the prisoner, no matter who had done the untying.

"Look, Legolas, I've been tied up in here for more then a week. From the beginning the ropes were tied far too tight for me to get out of, and since I'm far weaker now don't you think even the dullest, orc-brained idiot in the group might start to figure out that I couldn't possibly have untied myself?"

"Why would it matter if they did? I would be gone."

"But they would probably tell Acharndil. Now Acharndil is a smart man. He would then realize that someone had gotten to me and that now my family knew where his camp was. I don't want to loose our advantage of surprise. You know all this, quit being stubborn and do it!"

Hesitantly, Legolas took the rope and began to wind it around his friends wrists. He flinched when he saw how raw they were and tried to tie the ropes where it wouldn't be so painful.

"I little tighter Legolas, they'll never believe I've loosened them _that_ much."

At his insistence Legolas drew it tighter. He finished and stood up. A strange lump formed in his throat when he looked back down at his best friend. How could he do this? How could he leave? Even in the dim light he could see the dark lines under Aragorn's eyes, the bruises scattered across his arms and face. He looked into the glazed, pleading eyes of his friend and felt tears form in his eyes. Why did Aragorn have to be right about this? If he turned around and left he was sure his heart would tear in two.

"May the Valar protect you, Legolas Thranduilion."

How could he talk like that? He couldn't, it sounded too final. Too much like a good-bye.

"Aragorn I—"

"Go!"

Not allowing himself the luxury of thinking about the horror of what he was doing, Legolas turned to enter the inner cave. The crack was still waiting. He'd forgotten about that.

"Aragorn would you reconsider letting me stay with you?"

"Stubborn elf..." he the ranger muttered, "For what reason should I reconsider?"

"The hole in the wall... It really is a _very_ small crack."

Aragorn grinned.

"Anything else?"

"Then you won't reconsider?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

Legolas was grateful that Aragorn couldn't see how close to breaking down he was. It went against his every instinct to leave. If he couldn't help his friend he needed to at least be with him. But Aragorn was adamant. And deep down Legolas knew he was right: he had to warn the twins and get more help.

Without looking back he turned and left. He would go, but he would be back, and as soon as possible, with reinforcements. When he returned, each and every man in this camp would regret having had anything, however remotely connected, to do with hurting his friend.

Aragorn let his head drop. For a while there, he had thought he might never convince Legolas. Now he was back to the nerve-wracking task of wondering and waiting.

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Elrond was fidgeting.

It was not at all becoming of an elf-lord, but at the moment he just didn't care. At first he had attempted to contain himself, but he soon gave up in despair. Dark feelings had been encroaching on him all day.

Darker than usual.

Something was going to happen. Something horrible was going to happen to his sons. Not only was Estel in trouble, the twins, and maybe Legolas as well, were going to run into danger. Now he had to decide what he was going to do about it.

Elrond rose from his seat and went to his favorite spot to think: the balcony. He leaned against the railing and tried to sort through the problem at hand.

"My Lord?"

_How in the name of all the Valar did Glorfindel acquire such perfect timing?_

"Glorfindel. You're exactly the person I needed to talk to."

"I'm glad, then, that I came."

Glorfindel smiled and waited patiently. When Elrond didn't answer, he asked cautiously:

"What is wrong? Something troubles you, my friend."

"It is Estel and the twins..."

"We are all worried for them. But we must—"

"Wait?" Elrond interrupted. "No. I've tried being patient. The time for that is past; I won't wait any longer."

"There is something you have not told me. Do you foresee danger?" Glorfindel intently studied Elrond's expression. "The twins are walking into trouble again, aren't they?"

"Running headlong into it, more likely."

Glorfindel grinned slightly.

"You are sure of this?" the balrog-slayer questioned the elf-lord with a freedom that few others had.

"Certain."

"Then we can not take this lightly. What would you have me do?"

"I wish you to take charge while I'm gone."

If Glorfindel was startled by the statement he masked it well. Still, he couldn't help but stammer a little.

"Y-you will be going, my Lord?"

"Yes. Acharndil has taken this far enough. I am going."

Slowly, hesitantly, Glorfindel nodded. By the light in Elrond's eyes he could tell arguing would be less than useless.

"Who will you take with you?"

"Glamdil and at least a dozen warriors. I plan on leaving as soon as possible. If we leave now we may be able to find them before nightfall. Pray that we do. I fear that even then we may be too late. Will you inform Glamdil so he can get the others ready?"

"Right away, hir_-_nin."

"Then tell them we ride within the hour."

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Elladan and Elrohir never let their eyes leave the ground. They were both paying so much attention to the ground that they almost fell over the small cliff and right into the camp.

Startled, they backed up and stared at the drowsy camp. Acharndil could be clearly seen in the middle of the encampment.

"Only humans would be this sleepy in the middle of the day." Elrohir whispered.

"Sleepy? I think either lazy or drunk is the word you're searching for." Elladan whispered back. "But look, Acharndil hasn't entirely lost all common sense, there are a few sentries around the perimeters."

Elladan pointed out five men walking around the edges of them camp. Most of the other men lay sprawled around the low-burning fires. Obviously they felt quite secure from attack.

"Where do you think Estel is?" Elrohir's voice grew even quieter.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out. Come on, let's go to the right."

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Legolas emerged from the hole. Thankfully, he was still too intent on just getting back out to think about what he was leaving behind. Strapping his quiver back on, he strode forward along the ridge.

It suddenly hit him that he had forgotten to tell his friends that he had found the trail.

_Now I'm in for it._

They would kill him. He could only hope he would find them before they got too worried. He looked up at the sun. It had slid past it's zenith. Legolas groaned, hours had passed since he'd last seen them.

_I suppose there is no chance of getting back before they miss me... _He thought wryly.

Keeping an eye on the camp below him, he quickened his pace.

Seeing commotion at the cave entrance he automatically stopped. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that Aragorn was being brought out. Hauled out, was maybe a better way of putting it. The prisoner was towed over to where Acharndil sat and then allowed to drop to his knees. Legolas clearly saw Dagron land a spiteful kick to Aragorn's side. Before he even had time curse Dagron for the rough treatment of his friend, something else happened.

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The ridge sloped down and soon evened out. Elrohir followed Elladan around a large tree and into some thick brush that lined the clearing. The brush was short so they had to lower themselves to the ground to avoid being seen. They scanned the camp and for the first time noticed the cave, just opposite them now.

It was then that they found out where Estel was.

Elladan's eyes grew wide in shocked anger and Elrohir gripped a handful of grass in horror at the sight of their haggard younger brother. Elrohir remained slightly dazed, until he realized that his brother was not crouching next to him any longer. Elladan was now standing, hand reaching for his sword.

"Elladan!" Elrohir's voice rose a little in alarm. "Stop! We can't just charge in there!"

Elladan paid no attention. He stepped forward saying darkly:

"Hold on, little brother, I'm coming."

And Elrohir had no choice but to follow.

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**To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses: **

**HarryEstel: **Yes, Legolas certainly will do just about ANYTHING to help Estel! He's such a good friend : ) And as you saw, he did get to be with Estel this chapter, if only for a little while. Hope you liked the chapter. Thanks!

**polingly: **Incredible! Such promptness! LOL.Everybody loves a claustrophobic Legolas : ) I should be able to do a realistic portrayal of claustrophobia – my Mom is REALLY panicky in close spaces, so I know what claustrophobic people are like : ) You know, it's really funny, our Mom is so claustrophobic, and our Dad LOVES caves, so almost every trip we go on, he finds some cave that we just HAVE to tour. Poor Mom's been dragged through half the caves in the country! Oh yeah, Legolas can handle just about anything – except caves. LOL. Oh, I know what you mean about actually liking villains! Some of them just try so hard...you have to feel sorry for them. And villains like Chauvelin are just so...endearing : ) It's so difficult, being so mad at the bad guys for what they're doing to the heroes, but at the same time...you can't help but feel a little sorry for them. Glad you like Acharndil, though. You're not the author, so you don't have to be hard on him : ) Your problems and Aragorn's are different? What, you don't think you're as cool as him or something? LOL. Oh, what's your original story about? I bet it's really interesting! I saw the pictures on DeviantArt that you said were for an original story of yours. Were they for the same story? As I said before: I absolutely LOVE the picture! It even inspired me to actually FINISH an e-mail to you : ) So you're looking forward to leaving? Fine, then you go and enjoy your vacation. (sniff) I don't care if you abandon me. (sob) You just go and have all the fun and relaxation...(sniff) And...are my guilt tactics working yet? (grins) J/K. I hope you have a wonderful time...even if poor little me is left at home doing school...(sniff)...and work...(sniff)...and cleaning...(grins) OK, you can go ahead and ignore me, now : ) Namárië, gwathel-nin esse Iluvatar! Hannon le!

**Isadora2: **You're STILL dealing with RL?! (gasps) You must spend a lot of time out there... Such bravery : ) Whew, glad to hear I didn't say anything mortally offensive during my brief foray into German, LOL. Thanks for once more taking the time to drop me a few lines!

**Star-Stallion: **Hmm, he actually ended up being skinny enough—it was the fact the he was hyperventilating that made things so difficult : ) Plot Nazgûl! That sounds familiar. LOL. Oh, I believe you're a nice person! We're all nice people on here... Somewhat weird, crazy, eccentric, out-of-our-minds, fanatical, and unconventional, maybe - but we're certainly nice ; ) Thanks for the review!

**Mornflower: **Poor Estel, doesn't know how to swim...Of course, if I had brothers like his, I probably wouldn't let them teach me either : ) Oh, and poor Legolas too! What an awful way to learn how to swim... Nothing to eat since yesterday at lunch! Don't starve yourself! LOL. Thanks for writing the review—even while you starved yourself to death : )

**jacquelinestel: **Yep, eight whole days. I actually looked up how long a "normal" human being can go without sleep (within in the bounds of reason) and still survive. In an US Air Force survival manual (it's my brothers book : ) it says that if a person is "...in reasonably good physical and mental condition, sleep deprivations can be endured 5 days or more without damage." I like this part "...although efficiency during the latter stages may be poor." LOL. I know it says only 5 days, but I thought that Aragorn, being Numenorian, and in fine physical condition (I won't comment on his mental status), could survive for a few days more...although his "efficiency" is definitely getting worse : ) Oh, I'm stuck with you, am I? Hurrah!!! LOL, this is definitely one author who WON'T be complaining! And don't worry, no matter what Estel and Legolas say, making up words is a perfectly respectable way of attaining a wide vocabulary : ) Thanks so much for reviewing!

**elvingirl3737: **I was schizophrenic once...but we's all better now, aren't we? Yes, we are! (grins) So you talk to yourself too? Yep, getting him out is never as easy as finding him! If it was easy, what kind of story would it make? But at least he had some company for a little while : ) (grins) Yes, it seems everyone loves a claustrophobic elf, LOL. That scene was really a lot of fun to write. Thank you so much for taking the time to review!

**elitenschwein: **Oh, welcome to being an official member! They did tell you that you're supposed to abandon all sanity at the door, didn't they? LOL. It's good to hear from you—I was missing my reviews from springfairy : ) It was so nice of you to go back and review all the previous chapters, it means a lot to me. I'm glad you liked chap. 7, despite my hesitancies about it. Pleased with all the angst so far, I see...good thing, since there's still more coming up! I definitely understand what you mean about Acharndil vs. Dagron, although, it's interesting how most of my reviewers so far are more angry at Dagron—you're actually the first to say that you dislike Acharndil and his more devious, cruel personality most. I'm glad, though, that you liked the way I explained his motivation. (grins) Oh yes...I had so much fun writing the part where Legolas got stuck. BDD sounds wonderful...I can't wait until it's all up! Sounds like there will be a delightful amount of Aragorn-angst : ) You're part Nazgûl!?!?! WOW! I find new things out about my reviewers every day... : ) To answer your question: this story will be 24 chapters long, plus an epilogue. Thanks, again, for going back and reviewing all those chapters!

**Naesse: **I had a lot of fun writing the part where Legolas got stuck : ) I'm glad you liked reading it! Thank you for the review!

**Kathira: **Yes, I agree, it is a _very _poorly thought out plan on the part of Legolas. But I actually meant it, to some extent, to be a impulsive and rash action that he did with one thought in mind: getting to his friend. He didn't necessarily plan on getting Aragorn out by the same way he came in—he wasn't really thinking about what he'd do once he got into the cave. I'm very sorry if it seemed unrealistic to you. I hope that this chapter was better, and that it explained things more clearly. Thank you so much for telling me what you thought! It's wonderful to know that my reviewers are being honest with me : )

**Lord Elrond of Hogwarts: **I had so much fun writing a claustrophobic Legolas : ) I'm glad you liked that part with Legolas being defeated by the crack - Imbecamiel (my sister/editor) always said that was one her favorite parts. That and... oh, wait, I can't tell you about that part yet. Can't give away any spoilers, can I? Oh yes...and that part with Aragorn, too...I'm glad you liked it : ) Me? (smiles innocently) Hurt them MORE? What ever gave you THAT idea? Oh, BTW, I was looking at your new account as Tinorial Peredhil - I can't wait to see what LotR fics you come up with! I love young Estel, and Aragorn and Legolas friendship stories so much (you couldn't tell, could you?)! LOL, yes, I could definitely use a few sessions with the Feedback Anonymous - this author needs serious therapy! In the mean time, thank you for feeding my addictions! ; )

**Errhos: **I'm glad you liked it : ) Grr...Emily had better let you on soon, I want to know what you think of the rest! Thanks you for the review!

**viggomaniac: **Oh my goodness!!! I almost didn't get your review before posting! Stupid website...selectively refusing to send alerts to me when some people review : b Grr... As if I'm not having enough MC withdrawal already... you just HAVE to keep bringing that up don't you? I'll have you know that I wrote that chapter loooong before I ever knew what the title of ... a certain story which shall remain nameless, was to be. Yep, I did do some research for this story. Actually, my brother's "United States Air Force Search and Rescue Survival Training" field manual had some VERY helpful information. For instance: for someone "...in reasonably good physical and mental condition, sleep deprivations can be endured 5 days or more without damage." I like this part, "...although efficiency during the latter stages may be poor." LOL. Who'd have guessed it? Wow, 17-19 hours without sleep is like borderline drunk? Hmm... perhaps we have discovered the true reason for why Jack Sparrow is the way he is : sleep deprivation! (grin) Yep, Legolas is very selfless where our ranger is concerned! Where would Estel be without him? LOL, no, I don't think either of them will be vying for your affections, considering what generally happens to the favorite characters of people on here... Yes, Dagron is definitely a bit light in the upper story, LOL. Actually, just calling him stupid all the time gets rather boring, don't you agree? My sister has collected a whole list of "creative ways of calling someone stupid". You wouldn't be interested in seeing it, would you? So glad you're "enjoying" Acharndil! I guess I'd better draw this to a close so I can get this posted... Miigwech!(Thank you! - Ojibwe N. America)

**A special thanks to** Tinorial Peredhil **for adding me to her alerts! And also to **elitenschwein** for adding me to her favorite authors, and alerts!**

**The next chapter will be called "Past Breaking Point", and hopefully will be up Tuseday or Wendsday.**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the the F.F.F.F.F**

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	13. Past Breaking Point

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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****A/N: **Wahoo! Such wonderful feedback – thank you all so much! (I know I keep saying that over and over, but I mean it every single time I say it : )_

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_"Never explain--True friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway."_

-Author Unknown

**Chapter 13: Past Breaking Point**

In amazement, Legolas watched as two elves, swords drawn, emerged from the trees at his right. Even as he rolled his eyes, he began to run down the slanting ridge. He would have known the two black-haired Noldor anywhere, if not by their faces, certainly by the futile insanity of their mission.

Legolas came to level ground and ran out to join the twins, just as they were approaching the first circle of fires.

"Legolas?" Elrohir risked a glance back to look at Legolas. "How did you get here?"

"What on earth are you two doing?" Legolas ignored the question and asked one of his own.

"Getting Estel." Elladan said evenly.

"All you're going to get is a lot of trouble!" Legolas whispered fiercely, at the same time drawing out his white knives.

They approached the first circle of fires. The occupants of the camp were still oblivious to their presence, either being asleep or having their attention on the prisoner. Even two of the sentries' attention had been somewhat diverted by the excitement in the middle of the camp. They passed the first and then the second circle before their existence was noticed.

Panicked men groped for their weapons and clumsily jumped to their feet.

Picking out one man who still stood in shock, mouth gaping in a particularly stupid expression, Legolas twirled his knives and smiled menacingly. The man saw the smiling eleven warrior and nearly ran, but at the last minute gulped and shakily managed to raise his sword. After a few lumbering swings on the man's part, Legolas gracefully ducked and knocked him on the head, rendering him immediately unconscious.

Elrohir found himself fighting with a man who was perhaps less cowardly, but by no means a better swordsman. The man slashed at him quickly and without any precision, using a broadsword much heavier and more awkward than his hand-and-a-half, elven-forged blade. The only disadvantage Elrohir was presented with was that he was trying to defeat the man without killing him. His opponent had no such scruples. For the most part Elrohir contented himself with easily dodging the disorganized hacking of his enemy, all the while looking for an opening. Finally he got his chance. Raising his sword, the man swung it horizontally at his head. Elrohir ducked and lunged in one swift movement, wounding the man in his left arm. With a yelp the man lowered his sword. Elrohir took advantage of the small reprieve to land a blow to the side of his head.

Elladan was having a hard time finding a soul brave enough to encounter him and his blazing eyes. He had just found one brave enough (or possibly merely stupid enough) when a clear, bold voice rang out above the clashing of weapons.

Acharndil had been watching calmly as the three elves fearlessly downed one man after man. He noted, with a smile, the chivalry that led them to spare all the lives of his men. Now he drew his dagger and walked over to the struggling ranger, nonchalantly placing his dagger to his throat.

"It would appear your brothers have fallen for my bait." Acharndil mocked his helplessness, "And I even got a little more than I at first anticipated. That wood-elf is certainly loyal. I half didn't expect him to come this far—for a mere human."

Filled with confidence from the knowledge of the inevitable response his actions would earn, he let his voice carry above the conflict.

"Surrender now, or the ranger dies!"

Three pairs of elven eyes were immediately riveted on Acharndil and the resistant Aragorn, who was even now struggling so hard that the knife was biting into his neck.

"I warn you," Acharndil continued, "wait one more minute and I will not hesitate to cut his throat!" he had all their attention. "Now hand over your weapons!"

Not wavering from doing what was required to save Aragorn's life, they relinquished their arms to the sneering men who, now the fighting was over, hurried to the forefront. More men, emboldened by the elves' compliance, tied their hands behind their backs and maneuvered them over to Acharndil.

"Just look what they'll do for you, ranger. You must be extremely proud of your admirable and devoted brothers and elven friend. They are extremely loyal, if somewhat predictable."

Aragorn listened dejectedly as Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas were dragged toward him.

"Very proud." he said without a hint of the sarcasm his captor had used.

_Very proud, but not a little exasperated. _He added to himself.

Acharndil released the dagger and smiled congenially as he walked back and forth in front of his three new prisoners. He grinned especially wide and stopped when he came to the twins.

"How kind of you to join us."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Elladan spoke up boldly.

"I want revenge." Acharndil replied simply, as if it was a matter of course.

"Revenge for what? We don't even know you!" Elrohir protested.

"Don't you, sons of Elrond?"

Elladan and Elrohir stared blankly.

"Oh come my Lords! Elves are suppose to have amazing memories. Turn your minds back thirty years ago. Surely you remember a ten-year-old boy whose family you killed? No? You don't remember such trivial things? Or maybe there are just too many similar situations for you to keep track of one small incident?"

"We murdered no one!" Elladan exclaimed indignantly.

"You persuaded this boy's father to go on a 'necessary' hunt to kill wargs. You said there was an overabundance and they were becoming a problem to the surrounding villages." remembrance began to dawn in the eyes of the Noldor elves. Acharndil saw this and smiled contemptuously. "No one in our village had ever had any such 'problems', but you were insistent. They were a danger, a hazard that had to be stamped out before they multiplied. So my father, good man that he was, volunteered as one of the ten men that went. He never returned. A few hours later word was brought that he was dead: overwhelmed by a pack of wargs."

"We are all sorry for your loss, but you can not blame his death on Elladan and Elrohir!" Legolas spoke up. "They only hunted the wargs to protect your villages, and your father volunteered because he wanted to protect you."

"As I said before, there was no need for him to go. None of us had ever had a problem before. And if _you_ had not been stirring them up, there would never have _been_ a problem. His death was needless, as was the death of my mother and brother." Acharndil's voice was growing steadily louder and more bitter. "My mother was a good woman. She tried, I know she tried, but she loved him so much. Six months she held on, I think it was only to care for us, all the while I could see her grief eating away at her. Finally she just couldn't go on." he laughed bitterly, "People always say that there is no such thing as 'dying of a broken-heart', at least not for humans. They're wrong. There is such a thing, I know. And my younger brother, he was never very healthy. Always getting sick and never fully recovering. No mother, no father—so how long do you think he lasted? He was so sweet, Hadron was..." for the first time his voice became soft and he looked down at the ground. "He was always tagging along behind me, trusting me to protect him until the very end." he looked up and the bitterness had returned. "My father died because of you, my mother died because of you and Hadron died because you! I lost my entire family in less than a year—all because of you."

"Neither of them is responsible." Aragorn went on, despite Acharndil's withering glare. "It is the wargs, and the evil creatures who bred the foul beasts, that are responsible."

"Please," Elrohir's quiet voice pleaded, "take your revenge if you must, but let Legolas and Estel go. They have nothing to do with this."

"Ha!" Acharndil snorted, "Do you actually think I would have any mercy left for you after what you've done?" he turned his back on them.

He'd had enough. What he needed was time to think things through. Now that he had them, he had to figure out what was the best way to exact his revenge. What was the worst possible thing he could do to make them pay?

"Dagron." he called his second-in-command over to him, "Have the men take the prisoners over there and tie them more securely." he motioned over to some trees near the center of the camp.

"We're not to take them to the cave, chief?"

"No. I want them in sight and ten men guarding them at all times."

Acharndil sighed contentedly as he watched Dagron and his men tie the captives to trees. Death was too good for them. There had to be another way...

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Moranuen and Dolenil sat in uncomfortable silence. An hour had passed, bringing with it not a sign of Legolas, Elladan, or Elrohir.

"I'm not waiting any longer." Moranuen broke the silence. "They should have been back by now."

Dolenil's answer was to pick up his pack. He too had had enough waiting.

They followed the river until they came to the same prints that their friend had found. The only difference was that now there was the almost undecipherable imprints of _three_ pairs of elven boots.

"Sweet Eru, no!" Moranuen groaned.

Dolenil, who had been slightly behind, came up beside him.

"What's happened?"

"I'll tell you what's happened! Those two irresponsible, reckless, thick-skulled dimwits found the trail and left to follow it without so much as calling back to us! And Legolas is no better. It looks like he found the trail first and did the same thing as the twins. You would think you could expect more from two elf-lords and a prince."

"What are they expecting to do when they find Acharndil? He probably has a number of men with him."

"Oh, knowing them, they plan on single-handedly subduing all of them, whether there be one or one-hundred."

Moranuen stopped his rant when he noticed the completely expressionless face of his companion. Retaining his dead-pan expression, Dolenil knelt by the prints. Both their eyes followed the tracks off into the woods.

"They have a good start on us." Moranuen sighed. "So what shall we do now?"

"Following is all that we can do."

An hour later they were deep in the woods. Hardly a word had been spoken and Moranuen was starting to feel decidedly uncomfortable. His nerves were on edge from worrying about his friends, and the Silvan elf's complete silence, along with his immobile face, proved absolutely alarming. He wondered if it was normal for the elf to be so stern, or if he "loosened up" a little when at home in his own woods. Somehow he doubted it. Every once in awhile he would glance at Dolenil, only to find the same unalterable elf. All elves have good posture, but Dolenil's stance was so stiff he was sure he could easily have kept a book balanced on his head for the entire trip.

Dolenil crouched next to the trail and then straitened. Moranuen noted bemusedly that his fitted, green clothes hardly creased during all his movements. When he stood up there wasn't a wrinkle or a speck of dirt to be seen. Naturally, Moranuen posessed the cleanliness native to all elves, but _really_ after all the trekking through underbrush they'd been doing... Even for an elf, Dolenil had an uncanny ability to appear absolutly unruffled.

Moranuen was just beginning to hypothesize on how Dolenil managed to keep his hair in such _abselutely _perfect order even with the branches catching at it, when the object of his scrutiny motioned him to stop.

"Their foot prints split off from the Acharndil's and lead off over this way."

Moranuen looked at the tracks and nodded.

"Listen, can you hear it?"

They followed the sounds to the same ridge that recently their friends had found. Below them was the camp, and a scene that made them both take a sharp intake of breath.

After he'd finished processing the fact the his three friends had gotten themselves caught, Moranuen hung his head and sighed.

"It would seem we are too late." Dolenil spoke what they were both thinking.

Neither of them could tear their eyes away from sight of their friends.

"I suppose we should go back and get help."

Dolenil nodded gravely, finally pulling his gaze away from Legolas. There was nothing either of them would have liked more than to go down and rescue the others, but they both knew that attitude was precisely what had gotten them into their predicament. Still, they hated to count the hours it would take them to get all the way to Rivendell and back.

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**To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses: **

**jacquelinestel: **Dufusi! Ha! Great word – I love it! LOL, I never really thought much about what the plural of dufus was (I wonder if many have?). Have you ever watched DOC on PAX? Sorry for getting off-track, but all this talk of making new words keeps reminding me of Tippy (on of the characters). Everyone calls her new words 'Tippyisms'. Well, I'm enjoying all these... Jacquelisms : ) Anyhow... I'm glad you liked the chapter, thanks!

**elvingirl3737: **Yeah, I know, this chapter almost made me cry too! I just can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been for Legolas to leave Aragorn in such horrible circumstances. Can only end in tears...that's a very good way of defining the way most of the twins little escapades usually end up : ) As you can see, those words are already proving prophetic. Thanks for reviewing!

**HarryEstel: **Yup...mad Elrond...not good...not good at all... LOL. So glad you think this is going to be good – I certainly hope it is! Thanks!

**polingly: **I love doing crisis/humor...or rather I can't really _help _myself from mixing in the humor with the crisis : ) I'm glad you liked the part with Elrond. Writing Elrond is so... daunting. He's just so... so wise, and old, and... I don't know... capable, that even trying to "get inside his head" is very intimidating. Oh, yes, I've been to Mammoth cave once. (shudders) I hate it when they turn off the lights. I feel slightly claustrophobic from time to time, but thankfully it's nothing seriously hampering : ) Well, before you leave I'll just have to talk to you as much as I can – until I'm sick and tired of you! LOL, Like _that _will ever happen. More likely you'll get tired of me first : ) Hannon le, gwathel-nín!

**Mornflower: **Yep, they sure did get themselves into trouble (how on earth did you guess? Do you have foresight or something?). LOL. Legolas left his boots in the cave?!?! He failed to mention that...ARG! I just can't quit quoting PotC! Sorry...as I was saying...The thought of Legolas doing all of this without his boots on is, well, it's amusing, to say the least : ) Thanks!

**zeetus:** Hi! Welcome to my little corner of the web : ) Well, I'm certainly glad you enjoyed the story so far. I hope I'll be able to keep you alive through college – I'll do my best ; ) Ooo...yet ANOTHER Aragorn-angst fan! YES! You've definitely come to the right place if you're looking for more of that : ) Oh, I sympathize with you...even some of the worst LotR fanfics can be engrossingly interesting in comparison with THOSE books... (makes face) Well, thank you so much for the kind review!

**elitenschwein: **It's so fun exploring Legolas' psyche : ) Oh, you're getting 'the look' from siblings? I know how _that _is. But sometimes it definitely can't be helped – you get a funny picture in your head, and then you just can't get it out! (sighs) Yes, it was very hard to tear Aragorn and Legolas apart, especially after so many chapters of trying to get them together. They finally meet, and then I just have to separate them again! Aww, a tiny little Nazgûl horse...how cute (aren't I pathetic?). LOL. I'm glad you're looking forward to the rest of my little saga (I just hope it doesn't grow tedious : b) I know, sanity is never hard to get rid of! Well, the Peredhil part of you can cheer for Aragorn, and the Nazgûl part of you can cheer for Acharndil : ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Naesse: **Yep, Elladan's thought pattern in this kind of situation is highly predictable – even the villains are starting to figure that out : ) I'm glad I've succeeded in making you feel sorry for Aragorn and Legolas. Thanks for reviewing!

**Tinorial Peredhil:** You can't imagine how relieved I am to know that you're enjoying my strange, ironic sense of humor : ) Throughout my story I kept TRYING to be serious (if only occasionally), but met with very minimal success. Especially when I try writing thought for Aragorn and Legolas...I just keep goofing off : b But I'm glad you like it : ) Yes, Legolas (and Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn, for that matter) seems to be habitually in trouble – sometimes you have to wonder if he's maybe enjoying himself just a bit too much, don't you? LOL. I'm glad you liked that wry bit of humor by Elrond. Yahoo! SUCCESS! I almost made you CRY! And I'm successfully doing CLIFFIES! (Imbecamiel shakes her head and pats Nefhiriel on the shoulder) "There, there, muinthel-nín..." (Imbecamiel turns to Tinorial and winks while still patting a ranting Nefhiriel on the shoulder) "Simple minds, simple pleasures. Don't worry, she does this all the time." LOL. Yes, it only takes a _little_ bit to get me excited a _lot _: ) Anyways...Thank you for going through the chapter in such detail, and telling me what you liked – it helps a lot!

**Star-Stallion**: Oh yes, I feel immensely sorry Legolas in the previous chapter... Poor elf, all that work for nothing : b Well, at least he DID get to see his friend. I'm so glad you liked the chapter, and that you thought it was well written. Hehehe, I think I fit especially well into the eccentric category (I've got more than my fair share of artist's-blood : ). Thank you so much for the review!

**Anorwen06: **Competing with the Mellon Chronicles...The _Mellon Chronicles_... Hmm, sound familiar... Oh, you mean those stories that are infamous for evil cliffies? LOL. Wow, a comparison of _my _pitiful little scribblings to_ their _amazing, epic, novel-length stories?! Of _course_ I got inspired to write cliffies from Cassia and Sio – where else would I ever come up with such a cruel idea? (just blame it all on the famous authors...) But at least it makes you still want to keep reading : ) Anything that works...Oh yes, and the crack... I'm glad that that part turned out to be so popular! I really, really, had fun writing it. SURGERY?! Ack! Now there's a scary word. I'm happy to hear, though, that your doctor found out what was the matter! It can be even more scary not to know what's the matter. Guess what? I'm actually writing this when I'm supposed to, too! A record! But you're right, it's not likely to happen again... RL : b Oh, BTW 'Soli Deo Gloria' stands for 'all to the glory of God', doesn't it? That is so neat! Thank you for the review! (I hope typing it up didn't hurt your wrist too much)

**Lady Leeanne: **No, I WON'T forgive you! Not EVER! How could you DO this to me?! The cruelty! The intentional _MALICIOUS_ CRUELTY! I can't BELIEVE you'd actually leave me for THREE chapters! How DARE you call yourself MELLON-NIN?! LOL. J/K, I know how RL can be... I love to hear from you, WHENEVER you get the time! But um...you can let go of my ankles now... makes it kind of hard to move, y'know... : ) I love getting reviews from you because...well...it's kind of like getting a review from myself...we "express ourselves" so similarly : ) I tend to be a little bit dramatic myself...(naww – you guessed?) Oh, I'm glad you liked "Legolas meets the crack" – it was a LOT of fun to write. Yep, and Ada's on the way! YAHOO! (grins sheepishly at latest outburst) You're just lucky I didn't write this _entire _thing in caps ; ) Thanks for the review, mellon-nín!

**The next chapter, called "A Perfect Revenge", will be up Friday or Saturday.**

**Please review!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President an Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	14. The Perfect Revenge

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

* * *

A/N:** Well, I'm to exhausted to say anything brilliant today : b So I guess I'll just leave you to read the chapter in peace... 

See chapter one for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Perfect Revenge**

First Elladan and Elrohir were secured to one tree and then Legolas was tied to another, just a few feet away.

"What're you goin' to do with this one?"

Magog jerked Aragorn's wounded arm as he talked.

"Just drop 'im over 'ere. He's not about to escape. Even if he could stand up he's not about to leave 'is friends behind—are you, elf lover?"

Dagron took his other arm and, together, he and Magog "dropped" Aragorn next to the tree Legolas was tied to.

"You take nine other men and watch 'im for twenty minutes, Magog. After that, the pleasure is all mine."

"Estel, are you okay?" Elrohir, who, besides Legolas, was the closest, asked.

"I'm alright."

Aragon, with difficulty, pulled himself up until his back was resting against the tree.

"Sleep while you can, Estel." Legolas whispered in elvish, "I'm afraid Dagron won't leave us in peace for very long."

Legolas knew more fully the extent of what they had subjected him to, and the way Aragorn was laboring for each breath was worrying him.

Normally, Aragorn would have protested, but he realized that his body was reaching it's limitations and he would hate for it to decide to break down in front of his brothers. He didn't want them to start worrying, like Legolas already was. Right now he was all too glad to comply.

Aragorn was asleep instantly. His breathing evened out and his head fell sideways to rest on Legolas's shoulder. Legolas looked fondly at the exhausted ranger, whose bruised face was finally relaxed in sleep.

"Estel?" Elladan asked, craning his neck around Elrohir and looking anxiously Aragorn. "He's never fallen asleep that quickly before." the look Legolas gave him only enhanced his anxiety.

"Legolas, what have they done to him?" Elrohir asked the question they were both afraid to know the answer to.

Legolas related the conversation he'd heard between Dagron and the other men.

"The heartless cowards!" Elladan spit the words out.

Dagron, with perfect timing, decided to come back just at that minute. If looks could have killed, then half the camp would have been dead at one glance from Elladan.

As if unaware of the ire directed at him by the three pairs of intensely angry elven eyes, Dagron marched right over to tower over Aragorn.

"If you so much as touch him again..." Legolas glared Dagron with an amount of fire in his fierce blue eyes that would have melted the ice on the Helcaraxë.

"You'll do what, little elf?"

"Kill you." Elladan growled, protectively eyeing the sleeping ranger.

"And just how would you go about doin' that?" Dagron remained unmoved.

"We may be powerless now, but Valar help me, once I'm free you'll pay ten times over for what you do to him."

The passion in Elladan's voice, coupled by his, Elrohir, and Legolas's menacing looks, testifying to the truth of the statement, finally got a reaction. Dagron took a uncertain step back, giving the elves a moment of victory. But a moment was all he gave them. He recovered himself and spoke even more arrogantly than before.

"And who says you'll ever be free to carry out those pretty words of yours?" he sneered, "Oh yes, that's a very pretty speech, but it's take more than words to distract me from doing whatever I want. Just seein' the looks on your faces makes the work all the more enjoyable!"

Bending down, Dagron grabbed Aragon by the arm and pulled him away from the tree. Aragorn woke with a start, but without surprise. He was used to Dagron's methods of rousing people. That didn't mean it hurt any less when his wounded arm was twisted in Dagron's vise-like grip. His sudden drop to the hard ground was hardly comfortable either. After the rude awakening his senses seemed to fall back into a sort of a haze. Most of his body was still rejecting the "suggestion" of waking up so soon, and after such a wonderful reprieve.

"Leave him alone!"

Elrohir broke through the anger that was threatening to choke him to shout at the man who was daring to hurt his little brother.

"Now elf, I thought we'd already discussed this." Dagron spoke as if he were explaining things to a little child. " I'll be doin' whatever I want, and there's nothin' you can do to stop me."

Aragorn felt supremely and pleasantly numb. All he wanted, at the moment, was to stay that way. The twenty or so minutes of sleep had left him slightly groggy, but that was fast leaving him,and with its departure came a feeling of renewed strength. He was numb physically, but mentally he was processing everything more clearly than he had for some time.

Right now, though, he wished he could see what Dagron was up to. He cursed his blindness, not for the first time that week, and attempted to gather with his hearing more of what was going on around him. Before he even had a chance to tune in to the voices around him pain exploded in his senses. Oddly, he couldn't pinpoint were the pain was coming from. Was it his side? More pain. He tried to grasp onto the last threads of his passive, numb immunity to the feelings assaulting him. It was pointless. He was just preparing to surrender to his body's desires and groan, when the assault of pain inexplicably stopped.

"Shut up! You 'ear me!?" Dagron screamed at the three elves.

Aragorn listened in bewilderment as he finally began to connect names to voices.

"Nadorhuan!"

"Fuinion!"

The three elves weren't about to quit their cursing. Whatever it took to draw his attention away from Aragorn and back to them, that was what they would do. Only, they were running out of fit appellations.

"Llie n'vanima ar' lle atara lanneina!"

Legolas was obviously down to his last credible insults. Aragorn couldn't help but smile. He'd have to remember that one.

Dagron had no clue what the three elves were calling him, but even his slow mind registered from their voices that they weren't complimenting him on his apparel. After Legolas's latest string of contempt filled Sindarin he made another threat—one he was certain they would listen to.

"So you don't want me to hurt 'im?"

"Is it that obvious?" Elladan said between clenched teeth.

"Oh, you're very funny, elf. I'm in no mood to be played with, and the more you shout that _fine_ language of yours the angrier I get." Dagron circled the prostrate form of the ranger. "And you want to know what I do when I get angry?" he dealt a blow to Aragorn's side that made all the elves flinch in unison. "Well, let's just say I tend to get a little violent." satisfied with the silence he was receiving, he smiled. "See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Legolas cried out in horror as Dagron drew his dagger.

"Estel!"

Aragorn had no idea what was going on, but from the dismayed sound of his friends voice he prepared himself for the worst. He waited.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, don't worry your 'ead , little elf—I'm not goin' to 'urt your friend!" he laughed and surprised them all by cutting the ropes that held Aragorn's hands behind his back. "I just want to play a game with 'im, that's all!"

None of them liked the sound of this. If his idea of a "game" were anything like his idea of "fun", then things were looking very badly for Aragorn. They watched every move Dagron made with trepidation.

Enjoying every minute of the agonizing suspense he was keeping them in, Dagron casually paced around the limp ranger, dagger in hand. He slammed the blade down into the ground, just inches from Aragorn's face, and then walked back a few steps.

"Now, elf lover, I'll let you 'ave the first turn." Dagron confidentially noted Aragorn's complete inability to move his hands, even though he was now untied. "Come on, it's your turn first, take a throw at me!" He grinned "Just remember, it's my turn next."

Aragorn grit his teeth and tried to move his hands only to find them uncooperative. Their blood supply had been cut off for too long. Still, he had to try. He moved his weary right arm forward until his hand was touching the dagger. That was some success. He tried to curl his fingers into a fist but they refused to bend. Dagron laughed tauntingly. Oh, how he wanted to silence that irritating laughter... He closed his eyes and let adrenaline take over as he focused on making his fingers work. He was rewarded.

Dagron's laughter suddenly turned into a howl of pain. Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas looked disbelievingly at the dagger that was now protruding from his leg. Aragorn could hardly believe it himself. He'd actually thrown the dagger—and hit him? For the three elves, their first reaction was to smirk, their second was to cringe in alarm. Without a doubt Aragorn was in big trouble now.

"Magog!" Dagron clutched his leg and yelled for his friend.

Magog hurried over to the wounded Dagron and gasped as he saw the blood. Dagron kept one hand on his leg but pointed at Aragorn with the other.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot, the prisoner almost killed me!"

Pouncing like a rather clumsy cat, Magog grabbed Aragon by the front of the shirt and pulled him up to eye level.

"You'll pay for that."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A few yards away Acharndil sat smoking his pipe. He watched with detached interest all that was happening to the prisoners.

Sometimes he couldn't help but flinch for the defenseless ranger. He was not a cruel man by nature, years of scheming to take the lives of two fellow creatures had hardened him into what he was. Now he was able, without too much difficulty, to ignore the fact that another was suffering, and go on with his smoking.

The ranger was superfluous. If his misery was the supplier of good morale for his men... Then he wouldn't ruin their fun. The same went for the blond elf. They could have their fun with those two, all he was interested in was making the two dark-haired elves suffer. But therein lay his dilemma—how to make them suffer? He was certain physical pain wouldn't give him enough gratification. At least, that wasn't the primary step, he would kill them later but first... First what?

Acharndil's glance drifted away from Dagron and Aragon and carefully studied Elladan. He was startled at what he saw. Rage. Pure rage. He studied Elrohir. Sorrow. Unspeakable sorrow. Their faces mirrored his own raw feeling from all those years ago. He had felt the same way when Hadron, his brother had died... His brother. Why was he so startled at their feelings? Their brother's life was on the line. Of course it would cause them pain. How slow he had been.

There was only one thing he could do that would cause them adequate pain to pay for the lives of his family. It was their hearts that he must break. As seasoned warriors they would have learned to block out physical pain, but what about mental pain? He smiled. This would sting twice as badly. Not only would they watch their brother die, they would watch with the knowledge that they were responsible.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Elrond rode composedly at the head of fifteen elves. The serenity on his face was admirable, but the company of warriors behind him sensed his turbulent thoughts and rode mostly in silence.

The elven Lord ducked a low hanging branch and sighed. He kept telling himself that any minute they would come around a bend and run straight into his sons—all three of them.

He wished he could say that Legolas, Dolenil, and Moranuen would keep Elladan and Elrohir from doing anything rash, but knew better than to linger on such unlikely fantasies. None of them had enough self-control when it came to rescuing each other and he wasn't sure any of them would have the patience to make stable plans. Part of him kept arguing that they probably hadn't even found the place where Acharndil was holding Estel. Another part of him knew the truth. His sons were more than likely heroically charging the enemy, dragging Legolas and the others along with them.

_Wait 'til I get my hands on the two of them..._

Elrond could only hope that when he got his hands on them they wouldn't already be in need of major medical assistance. More wishful thinking. Yes, he would without a doubt be spending the upcoming weeks trying to keep them in their beds until they were healed.

He comforted himself with the thought that they had been in similar situations before, very often. They always came out more or less alive.

_Usually less, _He was forced to admit to himself.

After all the times Estel, Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas had come back from trips all but dead it was a mystery why his hair hadn't turned as silver as Celeborn's. Very likely he owed a great part of his amazing knowledge in rare healing skills to the four of them.

It was hard to keep himself from thinking about how eventually their "luck" had to run out. The Valar unquestionably had their hands full keeping his sons alive... Sometimes, the number of times they escaped from near death experiences lead him think Manwë must have assigned them each their own "guardian Miar". That would have been a reassuring thought.

Elrond's head shot up. Horses. There were horses coming. Moranuen and Dolenil shot out into the path in front of them and both parties reigned in their horses in surprise.

"My Lord. Thank the Valar!"

Moranuen quickly bowed his head as he recognized Elrond. Elrond saw with apprehension that the elf was having difficulty meeting his eyes. His fears were confirmed when he noted the three rider-less horses behind him.

Elrond closed his eyes briefly and, with a struggle, gathered his depleted strength around him. Moranuen also managed to steady himself.

"Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas have been captured. We can take you to Acharndil's camp."

* * *

**To Be Continued.... **

**Reviewer responses:**

**HarryEstel: **Glad you liked it. Thanks for dropping me a review on the run : )

**viggomaniac: **Harharhar...very funny... I'm not afraid to say it: BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN! Ha! See? I'm not afraid of FOUR little words! But, with all your taunting, you leave me no choice but to taunt you right back! Let's see, what are her interests... Aha! I got it – she likes Aragorn! (picks up magazine with cover picture of Aragorn) Just look at this! The 'Official LotR Fan Club Magazine' – with an interview by VIGGO MORTENSON – part one! And look at THIS! (picks up another magazine, this time with Eomer's picture on front) An interview with KARL URBAN! (smiles fondly as she picks up a third magazine with Faramir on its cover) Oh yes... (smiles wickedly) And here's one with DAVID WENHAM... (eg) So there, I've had my childish revenge, now I can talk pleasantly with you : ) Oh, I'm fortunate to be getting review from you at all – who cares about promptness? I will not remark upon the rest of your comments in this paragraph (I might start ranting again...MC addict going into withdrawal: not a pretty sight)._ Tormenting the Helpless Ranger with the Beautiful, Unseeing Eyes_... You should start writing the lyrics! LOL. Yes, our minds seem to be working along the same lines (I'll never be able to surprise you! Shucks!), as you can see, Estel is going to be knee-deep in angst...(eg) Oh, but I have your permission to hurt him? Thank you...I think... It was very handy to have the level-headed Dolenil around to do the unpleasant, unwanted role of being practical. LOL. Mahadsanid! (Thank you! – Somali, East Africa)

**Star-Stallion: **Acharndil... Yes, I can't wait to see what you all think of the way I dealt with him at the end of the story. I'm glad, though, that I've succeeded in making you pity him, at least. Thanks!

**Mornflower: **Oo...You're not doing too bad with that foresight of yours! (but that's all I'm going to give you ; ) Oh, I have a joke (of sorts) for you too, my mom got this in an e-mail:

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it  
is worth reflecting upon the death of a very important person, which  
almost went unnoticed last week. Mr. Larry La Prise, the man who wrote  
"The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part  
for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg  
in, and then the trouble started...

This even got my VERY quiet Father laughing : ) Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

**Kathira: **Yes, the twins... Middle Earth just wouldn't be the same without them, LOL. Oh, I'm so glad you think I handled everything plausibly! Yep, Estel has at least finally got Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas to keep him company. And there are more sensible elves on the way, too ; ) Thank you so much for the feedback!

**jacquelinestel: **Oh Estel...you never cease to astound, amaze, confound, and generally dumbfound me... British sitcoms?!?! Oookaaay....If that's what you like, then don't let me put a damper on your enjoyment. But I have to agree with Jacqueline, of all the TV shows that you could get addicted to, did it have to be on the BBC? You're a queer one alright... LOL. Well, we got back to Estel – happy? I'm just going to say it for the hundredth time: poor Estel... Thank you!

**polingly: **Forgive me if I go dramatic on you...it's been a long, stressful day for me too : b But I'll do my best to be comprehensible and possibly even logical – hope I make sense... Yes, the hideous Acharndil just becomes more hideous, as you can see. And things are going very badly indeed for all of them. But Elrond's coming and then...Oops, better not give anything away : ) Sorry this is so short, but I've really got to go, in this state there's not telling what I might give away! I really better go to bed before I go TOTALLY insane...LOL. Hannon le!

**sielge: **Oh, I'm glad you thought it was another good chapter : ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Naesse: **I certainly hope to keep it up : ) (blushes) I'm so glad you think I write well, and the you love my story – thank you!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **I'm so glad you liked all the stuff about Mora and Elladan : ) Me? Enjoying myself too much? What EVER would give you THAT idea? (looks innocent) Why would I want to purposefully get my favorite characters into so much trouble? (smiles sweetly) I'm glad you liked...er...didn't like my cliffies ; ) Oh, mellon-nín, you had me grinning like an idiot for hours! I'd imagined with trepidation the many reactions I might get to my OCs, but that someone might suggest dressing up like Dolenil for Halloween...well, THAT'S one scenario I never thought of! If you do actually dress up like Dolenil...(giggles) You'd HAVE to send me a picture, LOL. Don't worry, I know exactly how RL can be...as a matter of fact, it's bugging me right now to get off the computer : b Sorry this is so brief – I really appreciate the detailed reviews!

**zeetus: **Hehehe, so your friend was giving you strange looks? I know how _that _is! I think that most of my friends (the few that I have...that is) think I'm partially, or entirely, insane. LOL, it's actually kind of amusing... Oh yes, I can just imagine the look on Mora's face when he realized that Legolas has ditched them too : ) Hmm, I think that Elrond, Mora and half the inhabitants of Rivendell have considered, on more than one occasion, locking up Estel, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir – permanently. LotR fan fics just wouldn't be the same without those reckless twins, though... Thanks for rambling, I NEVER get enough!

**Troubles8806: **Hi! Oh, I'm so glad you found my story : ) It's always encouraging to get reviews from new people – at least I know that people are still finding my story. Hehehe, I know how it is: you start reading a story, get really into it, and then find out that it's not all posted yet! I always hate that, so I'll try to keep posting regularly... Yes, I know, wasn't Legolas horrible not to tell them he'd found the tracks? I mean, you'd expect that sort of behavior from the twins...but Legolas? I'm so glad that I've managed to confuse you with the plot! I know, that sounds bad... But I'm just glad that I'm not being predictable! As you've read by now, Estel is still captured – I couldn't just let him be released, could I? My writers motto: "Never pass up an opportunity for Aragorn-angst!" LOL. I hope this post was soon enough for you : ) Thank you SO much for reviewing – it means a lot to me!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **Oh, hi there! Well, I'm glad you found this last chapter exciting. Yes! I've got at least one person on the edge of their seat! Thanks so much for saying that – its VERY encouraging to hear. Thank you! (huggles a wide-eyed Lizzie)

**elvingirl3737: **Oh, I'm relieved to hear that you liked the fighting scene! I confess, it is my first time _ever_ attempting to write a battle scene...(gulp) Yeah, I definitely like the visual of the two "dark-haired elves spinning in a dance of death..." (joins elvingirl in drooling) I'm so glad that you're thinking along the same lines as me for the way Acharndil should take revenge...It's always annoyed me the way so many villains can never quite figure it out that it hurts the heroes more if you hurt their loved ones, then if you hurt them. (am I making any sense at all?) But you'll just have to wait and see if that really is how things are going to work out... (eg) You never know who this evil author might start picking on next! Anyways...Thanks for reviewing!

**A special thanks to Booklover Fanatic for adding me to your author alerts!**

**Ok, I'm really tired today, so I'd better be quiet before I say something REALLY stupid : b**

**Chapter fifteen will be called "Breaking Their Hearts". Sounds good, huh? I'll try to have it up Tuesday or Wednesday.**

**Please review!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	15. Breaking Their Hearts

****

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

* * *

A/N: **Forgive me for not coming up with a brilliant introduction to this chapter...um...(sorts through a stack of papers) I don't really have any excuse, but this quote might just explain...

_I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. _  
- Vincent Van Gogh

Yup, I'm afraid that's me... But, if my authors notes leave something to be desired, the story should make up for it. Hehe, that's what you're here for, isn't it...I'll just shut up now...

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.****

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Chapter 15: Breaking Their Hearts

Aragorn groaned as his aching body was jarred. Magog retained his merciless grip on the front of his shirt. Almost gagging at the smell of his rancid breath, he focused on just keeping conscious.

"So you dared to 'urt my friend?"

_Strange, didn't his "friend" just call him an idiot? _

Aragorn's inner voice mused absent-mindedly.

Dagron took a step toward them and yelled in pain as his leg gave out.

"Dagron, are you alright?" Magog asked, sounding particularly dense, even for him.

"Of course I'm not alright, you dim-wit!" Dagron was obviously not his usual charming self. "Just get on with it!"

_Dim-wit? Hmm, definitely sounds like someone _I'd _like to have for a friend..._

For once Aragorn was grateful for the little voice in the back of his head. Its weird sense of humor created a wonderful diversion. Anything that would distract him from his situation was welcome.

"I _am_ gettin' on with it!" Magog whined resentfully. "Let's see..." He stood uncertainly for a moment. "What exactly do you want me to do, Dagron?"

_Throttle me, stupid. What else?_

"Should I tie 'im back up?"

_So you're going to make him teach you step by step how to correctly mistreat a prisoner?_

Aragorn decided it was time to quit listening. The voice was beginning to get annoying again.

"Do?" Aragorn could practically hear Dagron roll his eyes. "Teach 'im a lesson!"

"Oh." Magog chuckled in comprehension and Aragorn steeled himself for the blow.

"What, beating up the prisoners already?"

Magog jumped and nearly dropped Aragorn.

"Chief, it's you! I was just teachin' the prisoner a lesson. He 'urt Dagron, you know."

"Yes, so I see..."

Acharndil scanned Dagron with bemusement. Surely Dagron was the only man who could manage to get stabbed with his own dagger, by a bound captive, who was too weak even to sit up on his own. His mouth twitched at the thought of his talented lieutenant.

"Enough of that." his mouth was once more a straight line. "Untie the elves and bring them over here, Magog. Dagron, you'd better take care of your leg."

Other men joined Magog in unwinding the ropes that bound the three elves to the trees and then they brought them over to Acharndil, and lined them up in front of him. Six men held the elves while Magog, and the now bandaged and limping Dagron, grabbed Aragorn.

Acharndil assessed Legolas without interest, moved past him to Elrohir with obvious enjoyment, and then on to Elladan. He could feel their anger, their rage, and best of all, their pain and fear. They were afraid of what he might do to their brother. He stopped in front of Elladan.

Elladan smiled insolently, staring dispassionately past his captor's shoulder.

Annoyed with his arrogance, Acharndil seized his chin and roughly jerked it up to meet his gaze. He looked unflinchingly into Elladan's contemptuous gaze. Elladan looked just as unflinchingly back. Legolas, Elrohir, and he had unanimously come to an unspoken agreement: distract Acharndil from Aragorn at all costs. Any one of them could survive better than him, in the condition he was in. He felt a surge of triumph as Acharndil focused his attention on him. If it had been Elrohir, Legolas, or Aragorn...He preferred not to think about it. There was no need to, he reminded himself, Acharndil _would_ settle for him—and only him. His insolent smile widened.

"Oh yes, you make me very angry, my Lord." Acharndil said, overcoming his irritation with visions of his upcoming victory. "Very angry indeed. I suppose you do realize you're making your punishment harsher the longer you keep that impudent smile on your face."

"Of course." Elladan replied without changing his smile.

"You're going to regret this, elf." Dagron sneered from beside him.

"I doubt it." Elladan said confidently.

"Oh, but you will." Acharndil let go of his chin. "You will beg us to stop before the end."

Acharndil walked over to Elrohir. Elladan's face fell.

_No, Valar, not Elrohir... _

But Acharndil moved back towards him, and past him. All three of the elves' hearts stopped as he as Acharndil paused in front of Aragorn. Contrasting sharply with the overwhelming panic of the three elves, Acharndil positively glowed with gratification. The elves frantically prayed that he was merely toying with their feelings. When Acharndil turned away from Aragorn there was an almost audible sigh of relief. Acharndil laughed as he witnessed these undercurrents of emotion. So, his suspicions had been right. With an unsuspected change, he spun, and landed a punch to Aragorn's stomach. Aragorn doubled over in pain as far as the restraining arms behind him would allow. Acharndil strode back over to Elladan and Elrohir as if he didn't even notice. The twins' eyes smoldered, but Acharndil retained his calm smile.

"Yes, my Lords, you will beg for it to end—but it won't."

"This is between only us!" Elladan nearly screamed, "Why must you involve others?" he lowered his voice to an almost confidential level. "Please, he's already suffered enough because of us. Let him go."

"He has suffered..." Acharndil pretended to consider, "And he will suffer more. You have sealed his fate with your own audacity. Of course, you sealed his fate thirty years ago."

"How can you blame them for the death of your family?!" Legolas still couldn't understand the insanity of this man's accusations. "They were trying to help! Either one of them would have given their lives to save your father's life. You act as if they _wanted_ your family's death!"

"They may not have wanted it, but they are still responsible." Acharndil turned to the outraged elf. "As for their being willing to die to save my father's life...It would have only been their duty—seeing how they were the ones who endangered his life in the first place."

"To protect the villages, to protect _your_ family!" Legolas countered.

"There was no need."

"Look," Legolas tried to keep his voice steady. Acharndil's need for revenge was clouding his reason. Arguing wasn't doing that much good and he was getting confused listening to the man's twisted logic. Even so, he wasn't going to let them hurt Aragorn without putting up a good fight. "there were elves as well as men killed that day. One of the elves was a friend of mine..." his voice turned sad at the memory, "But do you think that for a minute I blamed Elladan or Elrohir? My friend chose to help fight the wargs—as did your father." Legolas thought he might have struck gold, Acharndil was actually looking uncertain. "Accidents happen. People die fighting wargs. Elladan and Elrohir only wanted to help. Please don't do this."

Legolas let his plea hang. If this didn't knock some sense into Acharndil, then he didn't know what else he could say.

"It _is_ their fault! And my father died needlessly." Acharndil tenaciously stuck with the lie he had repeated to himself for years. Repeated it until it was the only truth he was willing—or, it appeared, able—to believe.

_He certainly has a knack for dashing hopes_. Legolas thought without a touch of humor.

His last shred of reserve fled him. Acharndil would kill Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir, and without a doubt, him as well. And at the moment it appeared that nothing short of personal intervention from the Valar could stop him.

"I don't understand why you have to do this to Estel!" Legolas cried desperately.

"Because, my dear elf, hurting him is the only way I can cut deeper than flesh. Just look how even a subtle hint of harm to him rouses you three out of your elven composure." Acharndil chuckled, "And I thought the elves were famed for their almost legendary dignity."

"You think we would let our pride come before our brothers life?!" Elrohir suddenly came to life. "I would get down on my knees and beg if it would do any good!"

"I'm afraid it wouldn't do a bit of good, but by all means go ahead if you want to." Acharndil was really enjoying himself. "But there is yet one difficult question to be answered: what exactly am I going to do with you?" he studied Aragorn.

Up till now Aragorn had remained quiet. What could he say? He could have yelled at his brothers and Legolas to be quiet, of course—not that it would have done the slightest bit of good. He had wanted to defend his brothers' names, but hadn't felt alert enough to come up with anything as eloquent as Legolas. Still, it was uncomfortable, being talked about as if you weren't present. What's more, Acharndil's easy manner and lofty words were getting on his nerves.

"I'm sure you'll think up something wonderfully excruciating." he muttered the first thing that popped into his head.

_That was stupid._

Well it was its own fault, Aragorn reasoned with the voice. After all, he was only repeating what it had told him.

"I like you!" Acharndil guffawed loudly, "It's really too bad, we could have been friends under different circumstances, you and I."

"_Very_ different circumstances." Aragorn said coldly.

"Have it your way than, we'll get straight to business." the elves' faces tightened. "You have all argued very movingly, so I have decided not to touch him." Legolas and the twins exchanged skeptical glances. "Dagron, he's all yours." their faces turned white.

"Only too happy, chief." Dagron beamed.

He and Magog instantly set to work and Acharndil stepped back to watch.

Magog held Aragon while Dagron vented his pent-up anger. Alternating, he punched him on the right side of his face and then the left. Aragorn's head was easily knocked from side to side, but he remained silent. Dagron focused on the left side of his face, knocking it to the side twice.

Since he was unable to see, Aragorn didn't have any warning when Dagron decided to punch him in the chest. His fist landed squarely on a cracked rib. With a crack, it turned it into a broken rib. Aragorn was able to catch himself right before he would have cried out.

Dagron's throbbing leg only served to inflame his temper even more. He punched him in the side twice. Magog stepped back, beginning to get nervous that his "friend" might accidentally hit _him_ in his anger.

Dagron stepped forward, grabbing Aragorn by the front of his shirt and thrusting him backwards. Aragorn's back contacted a tree with a painful thud. Before he could register just how painful, Dagron was clutching the dagger wound, twisting his arm nearly out of joint. Aragorn clenched his teeth and stifled a moan. He was not about to give his captors easy pleasure. Dagron pulled him forward and then slammed him back into the tree trunk, still keeping his tight grip on his arm. The sudden jerk Dagron made next proved to be too much. The agonizing pain convinced Aragorn that his arm had gone beyond being "almost" dislocated. He couldn't see, but if he could have he was sure he would be seeing spots by now.

Straining against the men that held them, Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas flinched at every blow. Elladan had to constantly remind himself that yelling and cursing would only get Aragorn into more trouble—if that was possible. A tear slid down Elrohir's face. Legolas looked away, the helplessness of his situation was unbearable. He looked back, eyes boring into Dagron. What Elladan had said earlier held true for him too. When he was free, all of them, especially Dagron, would pay for this with their lives.

Dagron was apparently getting tired of Aragorn's stoic silence. In fury he randomly continued to punch him. Pulling him away from the tree, Dagron released his hold on the front of his shirt. Aragorn swayed on his feet. A last blow ended his tentative battle with gravity and he fell to his knees. Dagron booted him in the face. He crumpled, unconscious, to the ground. With a last snort of disgust, Dagron limped away.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ten minutes had passed. Ten challenging minutes for most of the men in the camp. The elves had been tied to the trees again, but they absolutely refused to be quiet until they were allowed to see to the ranger.

"Just you be quiet, little elves, there's no way you're gettin' untied. Not while I'm still standing." Magog snickered at the snarling elves.

"He could be dying! Let me see to him!" Legolas was just as unyielding and obstinate in his quest to find out how bad Aragorn was as the twins.

"Untie him." Acharndil's authoritative tone held no room for argument and most people would have quailed at it unassailable command. He would not risk even the faintest possibility of the twins escaping, but he was not overly concerned about the blond elf.

"But chief, we're just goin' to kill them all anyways." Magog and his dull mental powers hazarded what no one else in their right mind ever would. "Why risk the elf escaping, just to keep the ranger alive a little longer?"

"Risk the elf escaping?" fortunately Acharndil was in a good mood. "Lets just say, I don't think we need to worry about it while his friend is in his immobile condition."

Magog grumbled under his breath but complied.

Legolas hurried to his friends side. He rolled Aragorn over and let his head rest in his lap. He felt for a pulse. It was going steadily if somewhat weakly. Legolas grimaced at the blood on his face.

"Water?" Legolas knew better than to expect mercy, but Aragorn had long ago taught him to hope for the impossible.

Something about the Silvan elf fascinated Acharndil. Maybe, he figured, it was his deep loyalty to human. Then again, maybe it was the way his unclouded sky-blue eyes pierced right through you with mesmerizing intensity. Possibly both. Whatever it was, he found himself granting Legolas's request, if only to see what he did next.

"Give it to him."

Still grumbling, Magog recklessly tossed a canteen of water. Whether out of an ineptitude at throwing things or unconcern that it reach it's destination, Magog only threw it in their general direction. It would have missed them by a few feet, but Legolas managed to temporarily shift Aragon and move to effortlessly catch it. Then he carefully relocated himself in a position so that his back was to them and Aragorn's face hidden.

"No mocking eyes for the moment, mellon-nín." Legolas whispered in elvish, at the same time ripping a piece of cloth from his outfit and wetting it. "Please, wake up." he wiped some of the blood away with the cloth and winced at the bruises that had been added to his face. "Wake up, Estel, let me know you're all right." obligingly, Aragorn moaned and tensed under his gentle administrations.

"Legolas?" he asked groggily. "How...?"

"Acharndil ordered Magog to release me so I could see to you."

Aragorn tried to sit up as memories of what had happened came crowding back, pounding his taxed brain with savage cruelty.

"Elladan and Elrohir—are t-they alright?" he asked, his voice quavering with exhaustion.

"Shh, yes they're alright. It's only been about ten minutes since you were knocked unconscious, nothing has happened to them." Aragorn stopped struggling to sit up and let Legolas lower him back down. "Now rest."

Aragorn sighed and Legolas finished wiping his face. He held up the canteen and Aragorn took a drink. Realizing, and at the same time dreading, that he had to assess and do all he could for Aragorn's more serious injuries, Legolas started cleaning his wounded arm. When he finished he looked dubiously at the dislocated shoulder.

"Just d-do it, Legolas, y-you-know I hate the-suspense." Aragorn smiled wryly, tensing in anticipation for the pain.

As gently and as quickly as he could, Legolas slide the bone back into place. Beads of sweat rolled down Aragorn face and a suppressed groan of pain escaped his lips.

"There," Legolas began to feel his chest for broken ribs. "that's finished."

"You-you have-a m-much gentler t-touch than Da-gron, mellon-nín." Aragon joked lightly, then hissed in pain as Legolas succeeded in finding a broken rib.

"I should hope so!"

Legolas tried to keep his voice just as light, but the way Aragorn was gasping for breath worried him. And now that he looked closely he could see that he was also beginning to shake uncontrollably. He scanned his friend's battered form, closing his eyes in self-disapprobation as they fell upon the dark circles beneath his eyes. They had become ever more pronounced and ominously spoke for the all the nights he'd endured without sleep. Aragorn was probably, quite literally, half-dead from weariness by now.

"Rest while you can, Estel."

He hated the fact that this was all he could do: tell his friend to rest and hope that Dagron didn't make an appearance in the next hour, or two...Actually, Aragorn needed something more like twenty or thirty hours before Legolas would have pronounced him fit to open his eyes. Right now, though, pure survival depended on a few hours, at least. Aragorn couldn't sustain many more serious injuries and live. Buoyant spirit or no, sooner or later his body was going to refuse go on.

Twenty minutes...Thirty...Thirty-five...Legolas blessed each minute that went by as his friend continued to sleep. He could almost feel each moment tick by while Aragon drifted further and further away from exhaustion.

Legolas could feel Elladan and Elrohir's eyes, worriedly fixed and him and Aragorn. He looked up, catching their eyes and mouthed the words: "He will be alright". At least, that was what he wished to believe himself. The twins sagged against the tree and relief entered their still unalterable gaze.

_He _will_ be alright. _

Legolas forced the optimism into his thoughts until it began to warm his heart with genuine belief. Estel would be alright. He smiled. Somehow both of them always survived, no matter how serious their wounds were. And right now his wounds, in themselves, were not that serious. He just needed sleep, and he was getting it.

"I'm nice an rested. How about your friend, elf?"

Legolas wanted to scream. Dagron was back already.

"Leave-him-alone." he ground his words out between angrily clenched teeth.

"I don't think so, elf. The ranger's all mine."

Legolas shifted to get in a better potion for glaring. Unfortunately, Aragorn woke up. The first thing he heard was Dagron, and Legolas felt him shudder. That was it. Dagron would not touch him. Legolas would make sure of that.

As gently as possible, Legolas lifted Aragorn's head and resettled him on the ground.

"You want some fun?" he rose gracefully to his feet to stand in front of Aragorn.

Dagron cocked his head and began to smile slightly. It was obvious he would very much like a chance to have the same kind of "fun" with the elf that he had had with his ranger friend. Still, he shook his head.

"No, get out of the way. The ranger's first." he walked closer. "Don't worry, though, you can 'ave your turn next. I won't forget."

"You will not touch him."

"Oh, won't I?"

"Not while I draw breath." there was a dangerous glint in Legolas' eyes.

"Then I guess we'll just 'ave to fix you first. And believe me, it'll be a pleasure."

Behind him, Legolas could hear Aragorn stir and begin to protest.

"_Daro, _mellon_-_nín!" Legolas commanded in elvish.

"Legolas, don't—"

"Aragorn, stay down."

Dagron advanced and Legolas had to switch his attention back.

"One last chance. Move, elf."

"No."

"I was 'opin' you would say that."

With a swing, Dagron's fist connected with the side of Legolas's head. It caught him while he was still distracted with making sure his friend stayed down, and brought him crashing to the ground.

* * *

**To Be Continued... **

**Reviewer responses:**

**Star-Stallion: **It was thoroughly satisfying to have Aragorn stab Dagron in the leg... Shucks! How did you guess it was going to get worse for him after that? (sigh) Can't hide anything from you. LOL. Thank you!

**Mornflower: **Oh well, we'll leave the job of using foresight to Elrond : ) I've never actually heard that song...I've heard of it, but I tend to listen to soundtracks (PotC - LOVE it!) and classical music. Thanks for reviewing on your way to supper, AGAIN. (good Lord, how many times does this girl have to eat? LOL )

**HarryEstel: **Yes, Acharndil has very well laid plans...but he didn't take one thing into account: Elrond. We'll just see how his father-instincts play out in the rest of the story : ) Thanks!

**jacquelinestel: **There are DEFINITELY very few sights prettier than the review box! LOL. Oh man...I miss those two... But I don't blame you for tying them up and shutting them in your closet – I'm sure they can be exhausting! (and an embarrassing oddity to explain to your company too : ) Thanks!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **Oh yes, definitely have to love that impetuous Elladan! (joins Tinorial in smothering highly resistant elven warrior) And I love you too! (grabs fleeing Elrohir) Well, like I told you, I REALLY don't go around hurting characters... unless I HAVE to... (eg) Hey, if YOU can kill of Estel in one of YOUR stories...Why should you get to have all the fun? I'll damage, maim and/or kill off whomever I please! LOL, I'm an author, I can do those sort of things, you know. I'm a FANFICTION writer, what's more, and I LOVE to do those sort of things! (evil laughter) Hehe...J/K... I think... Yup, some things will never change – at least, I certainly hope not! Nope, can't get enough of that elven sarcasm! And sarcasm from highly protective and angry elf is the BEST, wouldn't you agree? I imagine this chapter did have you flinching along with the elves... (shudders for poor Estel) Hmm, you sound like you know the inside of a villains mind pretty well. I wonder where on earth an innocent, sweet person like you would come up with such ideas? LOL. It's dangerous to share those kind of thoughts on here, you never know what story your evil theories might pop up in... : ) Yes, I just love hurt/comfort fics. But in order for the hurt characters to be _comforted_ you need Elrond! Leave getting them hurt to me... er... that is... Acharndil and Dagron... (eg) Isn't Mora wonderful and responsible? It's so necessary to a good plot to actually have a responsible character who is going to get all the reckless heroes _out _of trouble : ) Oh, Dolenil will be _so _disappointed not to have someone dressing up in a mockery of him and his overly clean paranoia...(sarcasm alert) Mr. Cleanion : ) OK! I admit it – I AM enjoying myself too much! LOL. Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **(blushes) I'm glad you liked it! So happy to hear you think I'm keeping things exciting! Thank you so much!

**Naesse: **I hope this was soon enough : ) Thank you!

**elitenschwein:** (grins) No, it definitely wasn't too clever of El & El to attempt taking on the entire camp at once. But, where Estel is concerned I'm afraid those two tend to throw caution to the wind... And sadly, they usually get in a LOT of trouble because of their recklessness. Acharndil certainly is frustratingly single-minded in his quest to accuse SOMEONE for his family's death. Hmm, I'm afraid that the twins pain is going to be emotional in this story (I don't know why, but I enjoy a furious Elladan so much! Weird, I know...). Oh yes, wouldn't it be wonderful it elf-looks could kill? : ) I'd be glad to translate the curses for you:

Nadorhuan—cowardly dog

Fuinion—son of darkness

Llie n'vanima ar' lle atara lanneina—you're ugly and your mother dresses you funny

That last one would be Legolas' last credible insult : ) BTW, I'm not much of an elvish speaker either - I'm not even certain that those curses are right : b Hehehe, you collect curses in elvish? That's hilarious! A great idea, too. I would LOVE to hear your list! I had such a hard time finding even these three curses. Anyways, no, as you've read, things are NOT going to good for Estel... Glad you liked the chapter, thank you for reviewing both chapters!

**elvingirl3737: **Oh yes, there's my favorite word again—womping! Imbecamiel and I both agree that it's a perfect word to describe what Aragorn is often put through : ) You don't mind?! You don't mind that our poor ranger is getting a WOMPING?! (shakes head) Wow, you sure are subtle about it...LOL. (snickers) That's right, bite her Elladan! Yeah, take her finger off Elrohir! Um... I mean.. be nice now, boys, no biting reviewers. Oooo! I get the golden star award for believable villain?! Thank you, I'm glad Acharndil's believable and cruel enough for you. Now, now, mellon-nín, do you really think that I'd "kill 'em and have him weep over their dead bodies"? I'm not THAT evil... am I? Hmm... On second thought, just think of all the lovely angst we could have if I DID kill them all off! Maybe I _should_ consider that after all... (eg) Be careful what you wish for around me : ) Thanks so much for the review!

**Anorwen06: **I know, isn't it wonderful? I've created a perfect setting for heaps of angst! (characters glare) Ok, let's be moving on... Isn't Aragorn amazing? (huggles ranger) Yes, I think your sign-off phrase is really neat! You were homeschooled too? Oh, that's awesome! You know, it's interesting, it seems like ninety percent of my favorite stories are written by other Christian homeschoolers. The funny thing is, I usually read the story _first _and then later on find out that the author is either Christian, homeschooled, or both! We all seem to have some sort of "magnetic" attraction to each others' work : ) Hehehe, I'm afraid I didn't make it – I'm supposed to be doing school right now. But good for you, congratulations! LOL. Thank you!

**Troubles8806: **(grins) Aha! So I'm still managing to confuse you? I'm glad to hear it : ) I sure hope that this plot makes sense in the end...At times I managed to lose myself while I was writing it, but then, I'm easily confused. LOL. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reviewing!

**polingly: **(chuckles) Oh no, Russian roulette is not a game you play with Aragorn, even a half-dead Aragorn. But you know, Aragorn really had no choice, he would have gotten in just as much trouble if he hadn't thrown the dagger—though he _might _have avoided getting on Dagron's bad side (wait, would that mean that Dagron has a _good_ side?). (chuckles again) Now I REALLY can't wait to know what you think about the end if this story, and how I handled Acharndil. I doubt that anything I can think of to do to him would quite compare to whatever Leeanne might think of... Maybe I just aught to hand him over to her? (Acharndil shudders) LOL. Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**viggomaniac: **(glares and begins to mutter between clenched teeth) Taking the high road, Nefhiriel, taking the high road... (clears throat) Well, you aren't doing nearly as much harm as you think you are by mentioning "it" so often. I, of course, have Cassia on my author alerts, so every couple of days... "Update alert! New chapter by Cassia! New chapter added to Between Darkness and Dawn!" Ugh! And my sister would never allow me to take her off my alerts! I can't escape from "it"! But really, you are wicked.... : b Yes, Acharndil does resemble Aragorn in a vague, more care-worn sort of a way. I thought you might like his methods of revenge : ) You know, it's funny, beating up Aragorn not only supplies good morale for the bad guys...it also, strangely, supplies good morale for my readers, and you in particular...(coincidence?) Hehe, I thoroughly enjoyed writing the part where Aragorn stabs Dagron. Me? Pandering to you? Um, you can think that if you want, but the true confession is...(looks sheepish) I just couldn't think of anything better for Dagron to be calling Aragorn. I mean "elf" is, in his opinion, enough of an insult, so that's fine for all the elves. But what to call Aragorn? I suppose he could have just called him "ranger" or something, but that just didn't quite "do" it. (am I making any sense at all?) Anyways... Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**A special thanks **Joshua Nenya** for adding me to your favorites!**

**Next chapter should be here on Friday or Saturday, as usual (you know, the creative side of me screams at saying the same thing over and over... I guess I'm going to have to find some "different" way of letting you all know the next chapter title and update time...). Just to be creative (or evil, your choice), I'm not going to tell you what the next chapter will be called. I will tell you, though, that the next chapter marks a major turning point in the story (how's that for vague evilness?).**

**Thank you all SO much for the wonderful feedback! I REALLY appreciate it!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F. **


	16. Just in Time

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**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

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A/N: **Yes, yes, I know it was evil not to tell you what the chapter title was lest time... But really I thought "Just in Time" was just a _bit_ too spoilerish : ) Besides, you all might have started to relax too much, which (as you'll see by the end of this chapter) would have been quite premature. (eg) 

This is an EXTREMELY short chapter, and for this I do apologize. I know it's only half the usual size, but a lot does happen even this short amount of writing.

Oh, and there's a cliffy warning for this chapter. (eg) I do believe this will be my best cliffy yet...

See first chapter for disclaimers. Review responses at the end of the chapter.**

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Chapter 16: Just In Time

There was something about the elf... Acharndil knew he was being foolish, but he decided to let the elf do what he wanted. He ordered Magog to untie him, and then to give him water.

He went a little way off and continued his scrutiny.

The blond elf lowered himself and gently, ever so gently, lifted the ranger's head into his lap. The amount of familiarity they shared reminded him of...brothers? Yes, brothers. They were opposites in all physical appearances, and not of the same race, but in all the things that really mattered they agreed. Just watching them together you knew that they were brothers in everything but blood.

Acharndil knew he was being pathetically sentimental, but right now he didn't really care. All he wanted was to watch them interact. He envied their relationship. The ranger didn't have any natural brothers, he'd learned that much in Rivendell. But here he was, with three elves ready to die for him. They were as close as family, closer than some. None of them cared about each other's differences. They loved each other, and that was enough.

Family...That was something he hadn't experienced in long time. Vague memories of a warm fireside in a small cottage, sitting on his fathers knee, being tucked in by his mother, playing with his brother. Those memories were all that he had left of family. Wrapped up in his revenge, he'd forgotten how much he missed it. He was only ten then, but he still remembered the warm feelings.

Acharndil watched jealously as Legolas shielded Aragorn from his men and treated his wounds. Hadron had died so young; he'd never really experienced what it was like to have a brother. There was no one who looked after him. There was no one who cared if he died now or lived another million years. There was no one.

Dagron returned. As the blonde elf faithfully guarded his friend, Acharndil stood rooted to the ground, mesmerized by his fierce defense. Dagron struck the elf down and then—then something unexpected happened.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Legolas expected a torrent of blows to descend on him. Instead he heard a commotion, and from the sounds of it not far away and drawing closer.

"We are under attack!"

"Every man to his weapons!"

The cry was taken up and it spread through the camp, but not soon enough. Before the men were armed, or even completely alert, elven warriors were in their midst. Like ghosts, they seemed to appear out of nowhere, knocking men unconscious before their presence was fully recognized. Elves flooded the clearing, Lord Elrond at their head.

Legolas smiled at the confusion on Dagron's face, and took the opportunity to swiftly kick his legs out from under him. Dagron fell, stunned for the moment. Legolas spun around just in time to knock the sword out of Magog's hands and deliver a blow to his stomach. Another blow to his head and he was out cold. Dagron had gathered himself together and was now pulling out a dagger. Legolas reached for Magog's sword and turned at the same time that the dagger was thrown. Moving to the right, Legolas missed getting stabbed in the heart, but momentarily sacrificed the use of his left arm instead. He gasped, but hastily pulled out the dagger. Aragorn was just pulling himself up, and he thrust it to into his hands.

"Quick, get them untied!" Legolas called out, but unnecessarily, for Aragorn was already feeling his way to the tree.

Dagron charged, sword drawn, and Legolas redirected his attention to his adversary. Blood was slowly seeping from his wound, but anger blotted out the pain. With steady, decisive movements, Legolas wielded his sword. He blocked without difficulty each blow aimed at him, advancing relentlessly, never giving ground. He was rewarded by a look of alarm on Dagron's face, but it was only fleeting. Dagron's self-possession returned and he was master of his emotions once more. A mask of fearless cruelty slid down to hide the passing weakness and he began to hold his own ground just as furiously as his opponent.

Aragorn finally reached the tree, guided by his brothers' voices and his sense of touch. He cut the ropes and Elladan and Elrohir sprang to their feet.

"Estel, stay here." Elladan directed Aragorn and hurried to join his brother.

Aragorn slumped against the tree. He wanted to join the fight, but it was impossible. At the moment it would appear that he was useless.

Legolas continued to combat Dagron. Back and forth they blocked and parried, neither one able to push forward, or willing to move backwards.

Resolving to end the fight as soon as possible, Legolas quickened his pace. Used to using lighter weapons, he was finding the broadsword to be extremely unwieldy in comparison and would have given anything to have his white knives back. Awkward though it was, he was able to pick up speed. He swung his sword downward just as Dagron brought his up. With annoyance he noticed that his left arm was shaking, making every stroke more precarious. His sword slid to the side and Dagron lunged.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Elladan and Elrohir jumped into the fight, each picking an opponent and going at him with indomitable strength of will. Elrond was battling close by with Glamdil by his side.

All around, the brief struggle was coming to an end. Not wishing to kill where it wasn't necessary, and by their Lord's order, the elves always knocked their defeated opponent unconscious, showing them a mercy that would never have been reciprocated by their enemy. Now the sprawled forms of their recent opponents covered the clearing. A few last skirmishes were still taking place, as rebellious men refused to surrender.

Aragorn could hear the conflict coming to an end. The ring of sword upon sword diminished, one by one cries of rage, or triumph, were silenced. A few yards away he could now clearly hear the voice of his brother, Elladan, trying to convince some desperate, half-crazed man to relinquish his weapon. He smiled as he heard his brother give up arguing for the more conventional and persuasive use of the sword. The sound of their swords clashing rang out as the man put up his last defense. But Aragorn had quit listening to them. There were voices, whispering voices behind him.

"Aim for his heart. I will bring down one, at least, of my family's murderers. If you miss you forfeit your own life. Do you understand?"

He would have known Acharndil's voice anywhere.

"I understand, chief, but I never miss."

"If your shot is as good as you boast, then I will be content."

"I always make my boasts good."

"Then do it. Quickly. We don't have all day."

With a start, Aragorn recognized the voice of the second man. He was one of them men from camp. The man had always carried...He froze. The man had always carried a bow. He always boasted that he was the finest archer for miles around.

_Elladan_.

Aragorn's heart began to race. Elladan was out there. They were going to shoot him. He heard the distinct sound of an arrow being notched, a bow being pulled back...

"Elladan!"

He tried to get his brother's attention, but he knew that by the time Elladan was alerted it would be too late.

There was only one thing to do.

The question was, could he do it—blind?

He only had seconds to figure out in his mind were Elladan was, where the archer was, and jump away from the tree, praying to Valar that he was in the right place.

**

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To Be Continued...**

**Yay! Elrond is finally there! (sighs happily) Now everything's alright. (notices readers glaring at her) Or not... Hey, you guys wouldn't REALLY miss Estel or Elladan THAT much... would you? (readers begin brandishing sharp objects) Hehe, guess so. (backs away nervously) Who'd have thought they were so attached to them?**

**Reviewer responses: **

**Tinorial Peredhil: **You make me feel so guilty, mellon-nín! Here I am, a lousy writer who's eloquence in a review seems to be limited to about a measly five lines - and then you go and write me a beautiful tome of a review! I promise, I'll try to be a little more talkative in my next review... (giggles) Oops! Perhaps I should have put quotation marks around "charming" in that paragraph referring to Dagron : ) Hehehe, guess what? You've already _have_ a dim-wit friend – ME! LOL. Yeah, I'll admit, there was that _one _moment where I liked Acharndil (OK, so maybe two or three – I mean, an author can't help but like _all _her OCs, if only a little ; ). But I do agree with you, he _is _rather pathetic. How could I grant your "request" not to hurt any characters? I thought the definition of fanfiction _was _basically: seeing just how much trouble you can possibly get your favorite characters into, and still have them survive. (or in your case, _not_ survive. Yes, I'm _never _going to let you forget that you actually KILLED Estel! ) LOL. I really like what you said here: "Lesson #1: Always keep your mouth shut when dangerous, murderous, psychopathic people are wondering what to do to you. Surprisingly, IT HELPS!!" Truer words were never spoken! Unfortunately, that annoying little voice in Aragorn's head (and a REALLY annoying author hovering over his shoulder) are always telling him to say stupid things at all the wrong times... Poor guy, he's so trusting : ) Do I hear a hint of violence towards Dagron and the other villains? Hmm, I'll tell you what, I'll do for you what I've done for some of my other friends. (scans crowd of villains) Yup, that one will do nicely. (points to one of the superfluous guards) You! (guard cringes and begins to run) Not so fast! (grabs him and hurls him into Tinorial's room) There you go, mellon-nín – you're very own superfluous guard! You can do ANYTHING you want to him! (eg) Hope that helps with any of the stress I'm creating with all this angst... Hey! I can kill characters too! If I want to, that is... : ) I agree with you 100, Elladan has the very best temper of them all – I absolutely LOVE it when he goes into "defend little brother" mode!! I think that's one of the reasons I enjoy beating up on Estel so much...(sick, I know, but Elladan is so wonderful when he's angry) LOL, OK, I don't mind being Mora. Only problem is...I'm not that handy at tracking... : b (sigh) Well, RL is calling... Thank you SO much for that wonderful, long review! It really makes my day! Hope you enjoyed the cliffie! (eg)

**Lady Leeanne:** But of _course_ I had to end it there, mellon-nin! How else would I keep up my reputation for evilness? (gasp) Death by dust bunnies and dirty socks?!? Wow, are you sure even Acharndil deserves _that_? Of course, the elves, noble beings that they are, couldn't possibly be as cruel as all that : ) I'm really curious to see what you think when you hear what actually _does_ happen to him. But for now, you're just going to have to sick your bunnies on that superfluous guard. I still have...(clears throat) "plans" for Acharndil. (eg) Oh, by the way, Polly tells me you finally got a chance to actually wear a cravat recently for your Bach skit. Who did you act out? It sounds like it was a lot of fun : ) Thanks so much for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**Star-Stallion: **LOL, trying to guess what another insane author is thinking can be very interesting, can't it? Yeah, I know what trying to go back to school after having some time off can so to the brain... : P We took a two week vacation just a few weeks into our school year, and my mind had a few... problems coping when we got back to school : b Hmm, well it would appear that Legolas is still in trouble – just not quite the _same_ trouble he was in last time : ) Thanks you so much for the review!

**jacquelinestel: **LOL, yeah, it's probably a good thing for us fanfic authors that they _don't_ have rights! Otherwise we could get in some real trouble with all the things we do to them. But they're "fictional" (convenient word, huh?)! Too bad for them : ) Um, it might not have been the best idea to tell _them_ that though... How exactly do you intend to find them now? (panicked look) If you don't find them... (looks stricken) Then I won't be able to read any more JE/L/E dialogue! AHH! Find them! Send out Search and Rescue! Anything, but find those renegade characters! LOL. Thank you for the review, mellon-nin!

**Karri: **Oh, I'm really sorry if you think that. I've tried extremely hard to make things realistic, and I'm sorry you don't like it : ( I'm an inexperienced and untried writer, and I know that I still have a lot to learn. (sigh) Thank you very, very much for your honest opinion!

**HarryEstel: **Hehe, is that a death threat I hear? YAY! Um, yes, I am quite aware that I'm insane : ) LOL, I hope this update was soon enough to preserve my life... at least until I've finished posting the story. Just remember – if you kill me _now_... well I wouldn't be able to post the rest then, would I? LOL, thanks for reviewing!

**Troubles8806: **LOL, well, now you finally know who's going to show up – and when : ) Hmm, yes I suppose you're right: being lost in your work, and being confused in general are two very different things... I think that I experienced a little of both while working on this story. At one point, I had the times so mixed up, that the only way to explain the days would have been to say that each of the characters was in a different time-zone! I thank God for the wonderful sister/editor he gave me – without Imbecamiel, I would NEVER have gotten everything straightened out! But I'm so glad that I'm not confusing you, at any rate (Nefhiriel: her stories make sense with a lot of work from her editor, but her reviewer responses are so confusing that no one knows what she's talking about, not even herself). LOL. Thank you for reviewing for a thoroughly confuddled (my mutilation of the words confused and befuddled) author!

**Lizzie Blakeney:** Thank you VERY much for reviewing. Just knowing that you're still reading and enjoying my story is extremely – I repeat EXTREMELY – encouraging!

**Naesse: **Evil? _Me_? But of course! LOL, I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for the review!

**Errhos: **Hannon le, mellon-nín! I'm glad you're liking it so much! (huggles)

**Mornflower: **Yes! Evil vagueness! YEAH! Um... I mean... sorry... sort of... not _too_ sorry though (eg). I love cliffies - when I'M writing them : ) A squirrel, eh? Well, I've heard of seeing stars, and spots, and even birds – but squirrels? Hmm... That is really something that I never imagined anyone imagining... (I guess it's one insane person talking to another, hm?) LOL, you can see whatever you want, mellon-nín ; ) Thank you so much for the review!

**elitenschwein**So glad that the last chapter made you so happy! Yes, I agree, I like twin angst/pain, but making them stand helplessly by while I throw all this emotional pain at them is even more fun. (evil laughter) You like Aragorn's annoying mental voice? Yay! Personally, I always loved it, so it's really fun to see other people enjoying it too : ) I know exactly what you mean about the villains. You always hate the dumb, vicious ones, but it's the smart, calculating ones like Acharndil that are _really_ scary. (shudders) LOL, you're right, they _should_ have thought things through more before attacking the camp, just like Acharndil _should_ have thought things through before he decided to take on all the elves of Rivendell. But then, things wouldn't be _nearly_ as interesting if the characters always did what they should, would they? LOL, fanfiction authors _can't_ be nice all the time, it's in the rules! (flips through fanfiction rulebook unsuccessfully) Um, or not... But it's so much more FUN to be evil! Hehe, at least now you know when Elrond will be coming : ) I'm so sorry to hear about your computer : P They can be so frustrating, can't they? I hope you get it fixed soon. And yes, I would really like to see your list of elvish curses when (not "if"! think positive here!) you get it fixed. Here it is, updated on Friday! I hope it was early enough in the day that you were able to read it. Today's been really busy, and I wasn't able to update quite as early as I'd hoped : P Yes, I am definitely planning on writing more stories! In fact, I'm working on two right now. One is the direct sequel to this story and takes place in Mirkwood. The other isn't really related to this story. It's mostly about Elrond and the twins, but Estel and Legolas will definitely make an appearance as well. Thank you VERY much for the review!

**Hyperactive Forever**Oh no! We can't have the balance of Good, Evil, and... (does double take) Bob the donut salesman?... get upset now, can we? I guess I'd better update on time... LOL, yes, it _is_ rather... worrying when your "good" hype is just as evil and sadistic as your "evil" hype... You like the twins, huh? I'd have never guessed : ) Well, I'm afraid I can't be giving away whether there'll be and physical Elladan pain, author's code, you know ; ) But if you like him so much, you'll probably really like my next story - LOTS of twins there! Not to worry though, there's plenty of twins to come yet in this story : ) Let's see... your favorite elves are the twins, Orophin, and Rumil? Obviously I know who the twins are, but Orophin and Rumil are... Haldir's brothers, right? (I know, as a LotR fanatic I SHOULD know these things...) I'm so glad you're enjoying my story! Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Special thanks to aaecien for adding me to your authors alerts, and to Hyperactive Forever for adding me to your favorite authors list!**

**Ok, you know the drill: next chapter should be out on Tuesday or Wednesday. Unless I decide to be REALLY evil, and leave you on this cliffie for a while... (eg) It will be called "Killing the Characters" LOL, J/K. I can't tell you the title of the next chapter – and this time it's not just to be evil! I'm afraid it's because I forgot to think of a good title (again : P) for this one, so you'll just have to wait to find out. **

**- Nefhiriel **

**Vice President and co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F.**


	17. A Brother's Love

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel**

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****A/N: **I didn't mean to leave you an extra day with that evil cliffie, really! I had this chapter all edited, all the review responses written, and I was all ready to post yesterday... and then document manager was down for the day : P Hey, at least I DID say it would be up Tuesday OR Wednesday, so I'm not _really_ late, am I? 

Anyways, you are going to hear the cry: "Elladan!" quite a few times in this chapter. That's simply because I wanted to show each person's reaction to what happens. I hope it's not too boring or annoying.

I suppose I can ramble on all I want in this author's note. No one is reading this anyways, not after that last cliffy; you're all heading straight for the story, right? : ) Well, for those of you who ARE reading this...Thanks for listening—I'll be quiet now so all you faithful "author's notes readers" can actually read the chapter. LOL. Enjoy!

See first chapter for disclaimers. Responses to reviewers at the end.**

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**Chapter 17: A Brother's Love**

Timing his movements perfectly, Legolas avoided Dagron's lunge and brought his sword down. He didn't have time to hesitate. Suddenly Dagron was gasping in surprised pain as Legolas' sword cleanly sliced through his wrist. His sword clattered to the ground and he clutched the bleeding stump where his hand had been.

Even this victory didn't appease Legolas's rage. The face of his friend as he was beaten senseless at the hands of this man still made his heart clench and his hatred for the man flare. He'd promised to kill Dagron. Mercilessly, Legolas pressed his sword to the throat of his defeated foe. After all those hours of torture, finally he would get his revenge... He prepared to cut Dagron's throat.

"Elladan!"

He was ripped out of his dark thoughts by the desperate sound of his friend's voice. Estel needed him. He looked back at Dagron and, with sudden alarming clarity, realized what he'd come close to doing.

Revenge...

Legolas cursed himself for his weakness. For awhile there he'd sounded exactly like Acharndil. He'd come so close to letting his emotions cloud his reason. Dagron deserved death, he was sure of it. But not by his hands, not while he was in such a state of reckless, blind anger. Dagron would die someday and when he reached the Halls of Mandos he would get what he deserved, but Legolas would not be the instrument of judgment. Not today, at any rate.

Dagron's defiant glare was traded for a look of almost dismayed confusion as Legolas lowered his blade.

"I leave you to Eru's ultimate judgment, Dagron." He lifted his sword and added with a menacing smile, "Or maybe I'll just leave you to Elladan and Elrohir."

With that, he brought the pummel crashing into the man's skull and Dagron slid to the ground, unconscious. Now feeling free and unburdened, Legolas turned to find his three friends. What he saw quickly cut short all feelings of relief or joy.

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Elladan rolled his eyes. This human simply refused to loose with grace, or fight with grace, for that matter. There was simply nothing graceful about him. Hardly needing to take note of the other man's location, he stood in place, blocking inattentively as the man led charge after charge.

_He has to get tired of this sometime..._

The man was so used to the elf blocking his blows that when Elladan didn't extend his sword, but instead stepped to the side, he charged past him—right into a tree. Elladan chuckled as went over to make sure the man was unconscious.

_If only Orcs were this easy..._

"Elladan!"

He spun around.

_Estel!_ If someone was hurting him again...Elladan spotted his brother and then heard the twang of a bow.

"Elladan, move!"

Just as Elladan saw the arrow coming towards him, Estel jumped.

"No, Estel!"

Even if Aragorn would have listened, the call came to late. All Elladan could do was watch in horror as the arrow slammed into his brother's chest. Elladan couldn't move. He didn't register the other elves shooting back, charging into the woods after Acharndil and the archer.

Aragorn stumbled. The sight put Elladan back into action. He ran to his brother, catching him as he fell to his knees.

"Ell-adan?"

"Yes Estel, it's me."

"Sor-ry, I... almost s-stayed... in one... place."

"Shh, save your strength Estel. Ada will be here soon."

Aragorn felt another elf, supporting him on the other side.

"Estel! Stay with me, mellon-nin."

It was a familiar voice, tainted with unfamiliar panic.

"N-not going... anywhere. Can't get... rid of me t-that... easily."

Despite the comforting words, Elladan and Legolas were both having difficulty masking their growing panic as they watched Aragorn struggle with each breath.

"Of course not. I don't expect to lose you easily, stubborn human. I'm not going to lose you at all." Legolas tried to remain self-possessed. "Lean back, Elladan and I will hold you up."

They eased Aragorn back, holding him as far back as the arrow that had pierced him would allow.

"Ada!" Elladan called as saw Elrond and Elrohir coming in their direction, "Come quickly!"

"Eru have mercy, no...Not after we've come so close." Elrond knelt beside his youngest son and quickly assessed his injuries.

He closed his eyes when he saw the arrow fletching sticking out a few inches below his heart. Reopening his eyes, his healer's mind took over. He pushed aside paternal worry and set to work.

"Elrohir, go get my pack."

Elrohir hardly needed to be told. He was off, running for Elrond's horse. Elladan had already removed his cloak and had been trying to staunch the blood-flow.

"We must remove the arrow." Elrond put his hand over Elladan's and looked warily at the steadily spreading crimson stain. "Have the bandages ready."

Opportunely, Elrohir arrived with Elrond's healing supplies.

"Estel." Legolas leaned closer, and with concern, saw that his eyelids were almost closed. "Estel, stay with us."

"Sorry, just... so tired..."

"I know, mellon_-_nín, and with reason." Legolas watched as Aragorn's pain glazed silver eyes fluttered open. "But you must stay awake, just a little longer."

Elrond frowned when he tore open Aragorn's shirt and found bruises that promised more than one broken rib.

_Elbereth, what have you gotten yourself into this time, Estel? _

"Elladan, break off the tip of the arrow." Elrond directed.

Sweat beaded on Aragorn's brow. He groaned as the wooden shaft was snapped. Elladan looked like he was in as much pain as Aragorn. As soon as the head was broken off Elrond was pulling the rest of the arrow out, trying not to listen the gasps of pain coming from Aragorn. Legolas winced in sympathy as the shaft was pulled out. He watched in helpless commiseration as the human's back arched in pain and then went limp. Aragorn's eyes, tightly closed during the whole procedure, didn't reopen.

"Estel!"

Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas cried out almost in one voice. Not thinking to check for the steady rise and fall of his chest, they assumed the worst. None of them, no matter how long they were acquainted with humans, would ever completely get used to the way humans' eyes were always closing. Normally, veteran warriors that they were, they wouldn't have jumped to the erroneous assumption. Right now, though, all of them were in state of tentatively balanced calm—it didn't take much to send them into a frenzy of terror.

Elrond, realistic as ever, immediately checked his vitals.

"Stop, all three of you." Elrond commanded firmly, his own emotions made his voice sharper than he meant it to be. "You can't all panic on me at once. We haven't lost him yet, he's only unconscious. Now help me get the bleeding under control, or he _will_ be dead."

Feeling embarrassingly naïve, they returned to the problem at hand and began applying pressure to the wound. It took a good twenty minutes, but finally the bleeding stopped and the four elves breathed a sigh of relief. Shakily, Elrond disinfected the wound and wrapped it loosely in bandages.

Now that the crisis was coming to an end, Legolas' arms suddenly became weak. He was having difficulty supporting Aragorn's dead weight. Elrohir saw the Sindarin elf's arms begin to shake and spread out his cape. Legolas tenderly laid Aragorn on it. He slumped down next to Aragorn as the adrenalin wore off and he started to feel the events of the last hours. So much had happened in so little time! He took a long breath to steady himself.

"Legolas—you're bleeding!" Elrohir began to rip open the sleeve of the unresisting elf.

Legolas started and then looked at his arm. So he was. He'd forgotten all about the fight with Dagron and his shoulder wound. All that seemed so long ago...Yet, in reality, it had been no more than a half-hour ago. He still had a hard time comprehending how he'd let Dagron go.

_Estel is more important than that brute. Even though I didn't kill him, Dagron will get what he deserves none-the-less. _

What he deserved was too horrible to imagine. Well, he'd just let the twins come up with that later.

"My Lord," Glamdil came up beside Elrond and quietly asked, "how is your son?"

"He is well, for the moment at any rate. He is not out of danger, but I am hopeful."

"I am glad to hear that." Glamdil said with genuine relief.

Elrond continued to take stock of his herbs. "Are any of the prisoners giving you trouble?"

"Only one, my Lord. He seems to have gotten his hand severed and is putting up quite the resistance." he added with a smile, "The man has vocabulary."

"Well feel free to gag that one." Elrond smiled, "We wouldn't want any of the younger elves picking up on vocabulary."

"Certainly not, my Lord." Glamdil chuckled and turned to go.

"Be sure to stop his arm from bleeding and bandage it well." Elrond called after him.

"Right after the gag is firmly in place, my Lord!"

Elrond smiled. Glamdil was certainly a wonderfully capable lieutenant to have along. When in Rivendell he tended to be quiet and reserved. Sometimes he was all but forgotten. He had a quiet manner that hardly suggested leadership qualities. Be that as it may, as a second-in-command he was priceless. When they were out in the field he knew how to take over and make himself useful, if not invaluable. He always knew when to take command, leaving Elrond free to attend to personal matters—as he had just moments ago. Elrond could stop and care for Estel without worry about who would organize the warriors and take charge of the prisoners. He never regretted taking Glamdil along on his journeys out of Rivendell. Never.

With these reassuring thoughts, Elrond prepared the herbs and moved over to Aragorn's side. Elladan and Legolas remained glued next to Aragorn, watching his pale face. Elrohir, on the other hand, was clearly trying to take his mind off of his younger brother by tending to his friend. With an inward chuckle, Elrond noticed that the bandage had already been wound around Legolas's arm a couple dozen times. Apparently the distraction wasn't working so well.

"Elrohir," Elrond gently caught his distraught son's attention. "you can quit cutting of the poor Prince's circulation and help me with your brother."

Blushing bright red, Elrohir tied off Legolas's bandage and picked up another bandage to hold for Elrond.

"Sorry Ada."

"I think the Prince is the one you should be asking forgiveness of, ion_-_nín," Elrond smiled, "he'll be lucky if his arm survives your treatment."

Legolas didn't appear to have heard any of the conversation concerning him.

"Legolas, mellon-nín, you might want to loosen that bandage if you wish to keep the use of your arm."

Elladan smiled as he said this, for the first time since Aragorn had gotten shot. It was a pathetically weak smile, but a smile nevertheless. When Legolas's only answer was a mumbled: "Hmm?" he couldn't contain a snort of amusement. Legolas looked up sharply.

"And just what are you finding to be so funny?" Legolas asked, looking with puzzlement from one smiling elf to the next.

"You haven't been listening to a word any of us are saying, have you Legolas?" Elladan smirked with a touch of his usual self.

"I have been listening!" Legolas said indignantly.

"Oh?" Elladan challenged.

"Elrohir just saw that I was wounded, and then Elrond...he said...no you said—"

"So you haven't been listening!" Elladan said triumphantly.

Elrond shook his head as he worked over the still form of his son. Aragorn gave a small whimper, but stayed unconscious, as Elrond set one of his broken ribs. The joking ceased as quickly as it had sprung up. Legolas returned to his incessant watch and the twins resumed their hovering.

After a wearying half hour, Elrond tied off the last bandage and sat back.

"Ada?" Elladan put his hand on his father's shoulder.

"Yes, Elladan?"

"Glamdil and the other elves are preparing to stay here for the night. You should get some rest."

"No, ion_-_nín, Estel needs me and..."

"And _you_ need some rest." Elladan finished for him. "Legolas, Elrohir, and I can watch Estel and call you if there's any change."

"You need rest as well—all three of you do."

"Yes, Ada," Elrohir allied himself with Elladan, "but as the healer you should be rested and ready to take over should Estel's condition worsen. Doubtless, you have been riding all day and are far more tired than any of us."

"And," Elladan pointed out, "the three of us can take turns watching Estel."

Elrond sighed. How did his sons learn to argue like this?

"So you see, we'll get our sleep as well." Legolas spoke cheerfully, "You can go off and get all the rest you need, and Estel will be carefully looked after."

_Eru! The Prince too..._

"I surrender." Elrond smiled as Elrohir helped him to his feet. "I will leave you to guard Estel..." he looked at the three grinning faces before him. "On one condition: you wake me in five hours."

"Ada!"

"But..."

"Lord Elrond—"

The three of them immediately protested.

"Daro!" he held up his hand, "You _will_ promise this or I won't go at all."

"Yes Ada..."

"I promise..."

"Of course, my Lord..."

Satisfied, Elrond left them. The sun had already fallen below the trees leaving only the faintest of glows to light the clearing. All around him elves and humans were quietly slipping off to sleep. A few elves slipped into the upper branches of trees while others still remained awake, gazing up at the inky blackness of the evening sky, waiting for the first stars to appear. Upon their hard bed on the ground, men tossed fitfully as they tried to find a comfortable position with their arms bound. Everything was relatively peaceful and silent...Almost. He was going to have a talk with Glamdil and then follow his sons' advice, but as he walked across the camp something else caught his attention.

"Be quiet, human!"

There was a muffled response to the fierce whisper, followed by a string of profanities that made Elrond flinch. He hadn't heard any of his warriors swear like that for a long time.

"Adan (_human_), just go to sleep!"

Elrond followed the voices to where a young elf sat next to one of the captives. The human was tied to a tree in a sitting position with a cloth wrapped tightly around his mouth. Even with the gag the man could still be heard mumbling curses as loudly as he could. Although the gag rendered the complaining of the man inaudible to most of the camp, the poor elf who'd been assigned to guard him was still subjected to it because of his necessarily close proximity. Elrond noticed, without surprise, that the man's right hand was missing.

With a sympathetic smile for the guard, he walked past, but made a note to have a talk with their prisoner in the morning.

* * *

**To be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**elitenschwein: **I'm glad you liked the chapter title, it can be so challenging to avoid lame titles : b Ah yes, my evil mind... (looks nervous) You say you might send your little Nazgûl horse after me? (shudders) It can travel via e-mail? (shudders again) I definitely DON'T want to get one your bad side... LOL. Why on earth _wouldn't _I be nice to Elladan, Elrohir and Estel? Oh, but you give me your permission to injure them...even badly... Well, if you insist...(eg) Thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nín!

**Star-Stallion: **LOL, yes, I think it's futile to try understanding ANYONE'S brain on here, we're all just a tad weird... But hey, I rather enjoy being strange, don't you? Anyways...Thank very much for the review!

**HarryEstel: **A death threat! I REAL sure enough DEATH THREAT! (dances) Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes – I've succeed in getting a death threat!!! (grins sheepishly as she realizes that everyone is staring) Hehehe... Yes, I really did enjoy the death threat (not that you'd have noticed...). Oh, but it doesn't sound as if you'd kill me quickly, it actually sounds more like you're threatening to TORTURE me! (looks nervous) I must warn you, I have a very low threshold for pain - even a small toothache can easily effect my brain : ) LOL, thank you for the lovely death threat – twisted as it may sound, it really made my day ; )

**jacquelinestel: **You found them! (huggles squirming elf and ranger) And on the chandelier of all places... Hmm, you must have pretty strong ceilings. I mean, I know elves are light and all, but Estel too ?! LOL, they're lucky it didn't come down on them : ) Oh, yes, none of US are saying you two are "fictional"! There are HORDS of people on here who KNOW you two really exist! (shakes head) I know it's absolutely pitiful how some people just continue refusing acknowledge reality – unlike US! LOL. Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**Mornflower: **Wahoo – death threats from Mornflower! I absolutely ADORE death threats : ) A RUBBER DUCKY?! ROTFL!!! (stops laughing and pretends to be terrified) AH! The Rubber Ducky of Doom! I'll never withstand it!!! (continues in horror) OK, I'll do whatever you want! Update? You want an update? Well... (Morn raises THE ducky) OK, OK, I'll do it – just don't use the ducky! LOL. Thank you so much for the lovely death threat, it is greatly appreciated : )

**Tinorial Peredhil: **Aww, why on earth wouldn't you like an evil cliffy? (eg) Is that an APPOLGY I see for writing a LONG review?! (grins) Surely as a member of Reviewers Anonymous you would know that that is NOT at all necessary! I was absolutely THRILLED to get a three-page review!!! And even your "shorter" reviews are about three times longer than my "long" reviews... (bangs head) I'm the one who should be apologizing! (snickers) Oh, yeah, watching any one of the furious elves (or reviewers : ) kill Dagron would certainly provide excellent dinner entertainment, LOL. "Come watch the stupid annoying villain that has been hurting poor Estel be killed by a mob of furious reviewers – ticket includes a free dinner of pizza and a soda!" Yup, that would certainly draw in the crowds : ) OK, well, have fun with your superfluous guard ; ) Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**Naesse: **Well, it's up for you to decide: is Estel OK? But really, me, kill him? Do you REALLY think I'm THAT evil? LOL, that's not a dumb question at all, at times _I _really wonder – would I kill a character? Hmm...(eg) You never know... ; ) Thank you very much for the review!

**zeetus: **Oh, I know what you mean, it's so wonderful when you come back from a trip and find that a story you've been reading has been updated three times! Well, it would seem our minds were working along the same lines (great minds think alike, eh?), I just couldn't resist letting Aragorn take the brunt of the angst, and Elladan take the brunt of the guilt. (eg) Oh, I am so glad that you're that close with your siblings! My brother and I occasionally rub the wrong way...but in the end I really do love him a LOT. And my sister and I can truly say that we are BEST friends, and every inch as close as El and El : ) I just love "Warrior Elrond", LOL. Thank you so much for the review!

**pollingly: **I completely understand, RL is crazy for my right now too : b (laughs evilly) And the cliffy... LOL, I thought that might elicit a few reactions from people. Of COURSE I'm evil, mellon-nin! Really, I'd have thought you knew me better than that by now : ) Out of curiosity: do you prefer Aragorn-angst or Legolas-angst? Just a thoroughly random question ; ) Hannon le, gwathel-nín esse Ilúlvatar!

**Nietta: **Hi! (blushes) Wow, such compliments! I'm so glad that you like my writing style, the plot, and the way my characters interact. And I'm SO glad you're enjoying me story! Oh yes, I just LOVE writing a protective Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas : ) Hehe, you're absolutely right, it was a perfect opportunity to send Elladan on a guilt trip – one that I just couldn't resist (obviously ; ). Anyways... Thank you very, very much for the review!

**Hyperactive Forever: **Oh, do I know what you mean about having "this thing" for usually ignored elves! There's poor (or is it lucky...?) Gildor, for instance – he never gets any fanfiction written about him. And there are several other elves that I like that are typically ignored. Anyways, enough rambling... You LIKE the cliffy? Hmm, so far all I've gotten are death threats concerning the way I ended the chapter... Well, I'm glad that you liked it : ) Hehehe, yeah, sane personalities rarely make it to the surface, do they? That would take all the fun out of being crazy! I heard I quote that I bet you'll like: "Nine out of ten of the voices in my head agree that I am sane. - Anonymous" Yup, that's me alright : ) Ack! Look at me jabber on! Forgive the rambling author ; ) Thank you so much for the review – I appreciate it a LOT!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **Thank you SO much! I'm glad you thought it was a good cliffy : )

**Troubles8806: **Elrond does tend to have that effect: "Oh goody, Elrond's here, now everything will be alright" - that's at least what I always tend to think. But I suppose he can give you a false sense of security. (gulp) Hehehe, I hope you like the new twist in the plot, from what you said in your review, I assume I surprised you : ) Thank you SO much for reviewing!

**viggomaniac: **RL – it happens to us all... I know how it is, and I've been extremely preoccupied with general craziness in my life as well : b But thank you for taking the time from what I'm sure is a very hectic schedule, to drop me a few lines : ) I certainly hope that your life settles down soon! And thanks again for the review!

**A special thanks to zeetus ****for adding me to your author alerts!**

**A NON-cliffy!!! Aren't you all proud of me? LOL. Next chappy will be up Fri. or Sat. and will be called: "Easing the Pain" (for lack of a better title : b Hey, at least I didn't leave it nameless this time!).**

**THANK YOU so much, everyone, for reviewing!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-author of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F **


	18. Easing the Pain

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

* * *

A/N: **It's back to the apology notes... That one line by Glamdil: "The man has vocabulary", well, it's supposed to read: "The man has **a... colorful ** vocabulary." Glamdil REALLY is an intelligent elf, he doesn't have mental problems : ) Elrond's line was partially deleted as well. (glares at computer) For SOME reason, unknown to me, my computer is out to get me – it selectively erased part of the sentences! I hope there was nothing else missing, I just caught that mistake after I'd posted my story on the internet... (GROAN) Sorry about that, I apologize for my stupid computer : b (mutters) Seriously, WHY did it have to do that?! (bangs head against computer screen) 

As for this chapter being late _again_... I'm sorry. Hey, at least this time I didn't leave you on a horrible cliffie, right? This week has been absolutely insane for me, and I just didn't have any time to get it ready to post. I assure you, I have no intention of making this a regular occurrence.

See first chapter for disclaimer. Reviewer responses at end.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Easing the Pain**

It was turning into a long night for Elrond. He'd slept fitfully for over an hour, but he found that in the battle of conflicting emotions, anxiety had conquered weariness. Now he wished that he had made the twins promise to wake him in two hours. Four hours was just too much time to wait to check on Estel.

He fought down the restlessness that was stirring inside him with no small amount of incredulous disapproval; he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so impatient. If he hadn't been so troubled he might have laughed at his own lack of restraint. What was it that he was always telling his sons? _Trust Ilúlvatar with your loved ones and, if only occasionally, stop to take to care of your own health. You can't help others when you're on the verge of collapse. Besides_, _Ilúlvatar has run the universe ever since he created it,_ he'd always smiled when he came to this part, _and I'm sure he can continue to run it for a little while longer without your help, my sons_. It was all good and true. If only he listened to his own wisdom more often.

_Trust Ilúlvatar...Trust Him... _

When he had finally accepted it, he felt his eyes glaze over in a peaceful sleep without nightmares.

He woke up feeling refreshed. Obviously he'd needed the sleep more than he thought. The cool night air made him instantly alert and wide awake. In the light of the full moon he could see the erect form of Legolas as he passed his vigil by Aragorn's side. Close by, Elladan and Elrohir lay sleeping beside their brother. With sudden amusement, it hit Elrond how very much the three of them looked like guard dogs

_Or like three young elves who had taken it upon themselves to be responsible to keep harm, in any form, from touching one human... _

With the three of them and their almost possessive love for him it was amazing how many times Aragorn succeeded in eluding them and getting into trouble. Even when he was a child Elladan and Elrohir had never been able to keep their brother from the skinned knees and the various bruises he'd taken to collecting. As he grew older, the twins had their hands full keeping each other alive and watching out for him. At times the Adan had driven the two of them frantic—no, even now that Adan _was_ driving _all_ of them frantic with concern.

Elrond saw Legolas lean over and push a strand of hair away from Aragorn's brow. He smiled sadly. How in all of Arda had one human captured all their hearts? Eru, how had he ever earned such a treasure as Estel? He knew hadn't, but he thanked Ilúlvatar for giving his youngest to him despite his own shortcomings.

He leaned his head against the rough bark of the tree and gazed up at the moon. From the distance that it had already descended, he judged that it was finally time to go 'relieve' the three elves of their 'burden'.

With deft elven stealth, he walked the short distance to Estel and his guardians. The slight rustle of his clothes would have been imperceptible to all but elven ears, but was picked out by Legolas's keen and attentive hearing. The blond elf spun around so quickly that Elrond involuntarily took a step backwards.

"Elrond?"

Even in the misleading light of the moon Elrond was sure he could see Legolas's face turn a shade of red. Choosing to act oblivious to the young elf's embarrassment, Elrond didn't let on that he saw Legolas's hand as it stole awkwardly away from the handle of one of his white knives.

"How is Estel?" he skillfully manipulated the topic away from the fact the Legolas had almost slit his throat. "Has there been any change at all?"

"Um... no." Legolas recovered himself and lowered his voice so as not to wake up the whole camp, "No, there has been no change."

Elrond leaned over to check on Aragorn, who moved and groaned at his touch. Elrond was not done with surprises for the night. With a start and identical gasps, both the twins sat up. As if by magic, daggers appeared in their hands, pointed for Elrond's throat. Guard dogs indeed...he almost expected them to growl at him.

"Ada?"

"Ada!"

Their faces took on the aspect of two fish out of water—two very ridiculous looking fish. They looked down at the daggers in their hands and then at Elrond. Re-sheathing their weapons simultaneously, they inadvertently let their expressions became even more fishlike as they groped for words.

"W-we—" Elrohir opened his mouth but could hardly get anything said.

"Ada, we..." Elladan wasn't growing loquacious either.

Legolas listened to their well-expressed statements and began to laugh softly. This, of course, broke the ice. Elladan and Elrohir lost their "fish faces" and glared at the almost hysterical Prince.

"I see nothing funny about this." Elladan crossed his arms.

"I agree," Elrohir unconsciously copied his brother, folding his own arms across his chest. "Legolas, it's the middle of the night and—"

"And you two are the jumpiest elf lords I've ever seen!" Legolas's laughter was growing dangerously loud.

"If that is so," the twinkle in Elrond's eyes subdued Legolas's outburst. "than you would certainly be the jumpiest elf Prince I ever had the pleasure of almost being stabbed by."

"What?" Elladan just about choked, "Legolas nearly stabbed you?!"

Legolas scowled and quit laughing.

"Now," the twinkle died from Elrond's eyes. "let us see to Estel."

As if on cue, Aragorn's eyelids started to flutter.

"Estel!"

The first thing Aragorn heard upon awakening was the anxious voices of at least three elves calling his name. He wanted to answer, but his head swam and his throat felt too dry. The last thing he wanted to do was worry them, but he still felt so overwhelmingly tired and his eyelids were so heavy...

"No Estel, talk to us."

That was Elladan. He could have smiled if he wasn't in so much pain. Elladan was unhurt: everything was alright.

"_Saes _(_please_), Estel, let us know you're alright!"

It was Legolas's voice that eventually made him open his eyes and acknowledge them. Or at least try to acknowledge them. All that came out was a horse croak. Elrond was already filling a cup with water and holding it to his lips.

"Here, drink slowly."

Aragorn heard a soothing voice then felt someone lift his head.

"Ada?"

"Yes, ion_-_nín, I'm here."

"Is Elrohir alright?"

He was half-afraid that all of this was too good to be true. Elladan and Legolas were alright, Elrond was here, surely someone must have gotten hurt. He didn't want to push his luck, but if only Elrohir was alright as well...

"He's right here, beside you." Elrond reassured him, "Legolas has a slight arm wound, but other than that no one was hurt besides you."

"Hurt?" he smiled and tried to sit up. "Ada, I'm alright I'm just a little—" Aragorn gasped and allowed the hands behind him to catch him as the arrow wound made itself known.

"Estel," Elrond gently scolded, "lie still."

Valar! He'd forgotten what Elladan being alive entailed. He'd been shot? Funny how something so eminently important can just slip your mind...

"Rest, ion_-_nin.

Was it just his imagination, or was everyone telling him the same thing lately? Rest. Well, he would gladly do the same thing as he did the last time someone advised him to rest: comply.

Elrond looked around the circle, from worried face to worried face. None of them were going away any time soon. Legolas sat next to him, and, across from him, Elladan and Elrohir were practically leaning on each other in their need for support.

Elrohir watched Elladan hang his head and pass a slender hand over his face. He reached out and tenderly clasped Estel's hand.

"It's all my fault." he whispered as tears escaped from behind his tightly closed eyelids.

Elrohir put his hand comfortingly on Elladan's shoulder.

"Of course it's not your fault..."

"Yes it is."

"No, El, it's not."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You're not making any sense!"

"What have you two found to fight about in the middle of the night?" Legolas asked, Elrond and him both taking notice of their increasingly loud discussion.

"Please, Ada, talk to Elladan—he's not making any sense. He refuses to believe me when I tell him that Estel being shot was not his fault!"

Elrond made his voice as gentle as possible. He knew his son's amazing ability to come up with ways of blaming himself for _anything_. He'd developed it into a fine art and was swiftly passing on his skill to Elrohir, Estel, and even Legolas.

"Elladan, we have talked about this before. You can not blame yourself for everything. That kind of guilt would be too hard for any one person to bear."

"But this time it really _is _my fault!" Elladan looked up with tears streaming down his face.

"You say that every time, El." Legolas interjected.

"Well, it's true this time."

"Then you admit that it wasn't the other times?" Legolas cleverly trapped him with his own words.

"All I know, is that Estel could die, and it's all because of me."

"By Eru and all the Valar—can't you share just a little of the blame for once! Don't be so greedy, mellon_-_nín."

Elladan just looked at Estel and didn't reply.

"Don't be so stubborn, Elladan. You're not the only one who's ever done something wrong, or been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

It scared Legolas when Elladan didn't even attempt to come up with a retort and his tone was a little sharper than he meant it to be. He immediately regretted it.

"In the wrong place at the wrong time?" Legolas flinched at the amount of guilt he could see in his friend. "You don't know the half of it!" he lowered his voice as tears began to choke him, "That arrow wasn't meant for Estel, it was meant for me."

"I don't understand." Legolas said, as yet unconvinced that Elladan knew what he was talking about. "How could you know that?"

"I saw the arrow coming for me. I don't have a clue how Estel knew there was an arrow aimed at me, but he jumped in front of it. I was too caught up in my own pitiful little fight to be alert to my surroundings."

"El, don't be so hard on yourself."

"I heard him." Elladan ignored his brothers lenient words. "I heard him call my name and I turned around to see the arrow coming at me. It would have been too late. I would have been shot. But Estel," he smiled through his tears. "he's always trying to be the hero, isn't he?" not waiting for an answer he delved ahead with his self-accusation. "If I had been more careful to watch out for him, if I had been more attentive...Elbereth, it's my fault that he's wrapped up in this affair with Acharndil in the first place."

"Legolas is right, muindor_-_nin, share some of the blame. It's just as much my fault as yours; Acharndil wanted revenge on both of us."

"I still have not heard the full tale yet," Elrond was still mystified as to the reason for Acharndil's insane attack upon his sons. "Does anyone care to enlighten me?"

He was hoping that perhaps he could get Elladan's mind off his problems. He knew that sooner or later he would have to deal with Elladan's overactive conscience, he'd done it many times before. But right now he didn't feel that he had the strength needed to wisely guide his son, or that Elladan for that matter had enough strength to think sanely. Right now he decided to stick with the age-old saying, and tell himself that, yes, things would look better in the morning.

"It's a very long story, ada," Elrohir volunteered for the difficult and undesirable take of trying to explain Acharndil's twisted ideas. "but I'll try to tell you. You remember about thirty years ago, when all those wargs were attacking the villages?"

Elrond nodded.

"You, Elladan and a few others rode out to help."

"A few of the villagers joined us and we split up into two parties. The wargs found one of the parties before the party could find them. The wargs were killed, but in the first onslaught several humans and an elf were killed as well." Elrohir looked down at his hands and paused.

"And what does this have to do with Acharndil?" Elrond asked.

"One of the men was Acharndil's father." Elladan bluntly stated, "And soon after, his mother died. He says it was from heart-break." Elrond was beginning to understand. "He also had a younger brother who didn't survive for too long."

"And now that— " Legolas searched for a word, but couldn't find any one word that was strong enough to describe Acharndil. "—that insane, black-hearted, coward blames Elladan and Elrohir for his entire family's demise!"

Elrond shook his head. So that was Acharndil's story. What Elladan and Elrohir needed to understand was that they had done nothing wrong. They'd actually done everything right, it had just backfired on them.

None of them could think of anything to say, so they let the silence fall.

Elrond knew how useless it would be to tell them to get some sleep. And for once he was content—even grateful—for their stubbornness. He'd almost lost them. He'd had to live with the thought of loosing all of them many nights and he was ready to spend this night with all of his sons close by.

He breathed in deeply and then slowly exhaled, relaxing at last. Estel's condition still worried him, but he had committed him to Ilúlvatar and was filled with peace. He basked in the silver light of the moon and stars. Shining proudly against the dark velvet of the sky, Eärendil, Star of High Hope, smiled at him.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**Wow, TWO non-cliffie chapters in a row! This must be some sort of world record : )**

**Reviewer responses:**

**pollingly: **Yup, you're the VERY first! (cheers) LOL. Hehe, actually, _I _gasp every time I read the part where I had Legolas cut of Dagron's arm! It's just so shocking, I even surprise myself! LOL, You should have seen Imbecamiel's face the first time she read that part : ) The funny thing is, later on I forgot that I'd done it, and had the elves tie his hands behind his back : ) That would be a challenge... Yes, Estel most certainly is too selfless for his own good. And we wouldn't have him any other way - even if it does drive his family to distraction ; ) Oh yes, it would be just HORRIBLE knowing that someone had nearly gotten killed saving me! I'm so glad you liked Elrond! And I agree, I do think that Elrond's sons got their stubbornness from their father. Actually, that's something I'm going to be going into a lot in one of my next stories. LOL, glad you're enjoying the non-cliffie! Thanks so much for reviewing, gwathel-nin!

**HarryEstel: **Yeah, I feel so sorry for both of them. (reviewers point accusing fingers) Yes, yes, I know I was the one who DID it to them in the first place... I can still feel sorry for them, can't I? LOL. Thanks!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **I'll certainly try : ) Thank you!

**jacquelinestel: **Eating the ceiling?! I think I'll be joining Legolas on this one – Yuck! Though, now that I think about it, it may not be the strangest thing I've seen someone eat. After all, my sister likes to eat paper, Styrofoam, tin foil, rubber bands, plastic... Yes, she has rather... interesting eating habits ; ) Make Estel worse? Well, if you say so, mellon-nin... I may do just that ; ) Thanks so much for the review!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **Hmm, I'm still debating in my mind which would be worse: orcs, or the twins? Orcs can be horrible, but...can you imagine the kind of things El & El would come up with to do to Dagron? (shudders) LOL. Elladan, play _safe_? Unlikely. (whistles) I don't think I'll answer your questions anymore concerning the welfare of aforementioned characters, I take the fifth! Hehe, I just love the way Estel can never quite get used to elves sleeping with their eyes _open_, and the elves can never get used to Estel sleeping with his eyes _closed_ : ) Yup, definitely a record for Legolas, LETTING someone treat a wound WITHOUT resisting. (gasp) AMAZING! But, he was in shock, and not paying particular attention to anyone except Estel. (blushes in embarrassment) As I'm sure you've read in the A/N, those sentences were supposed to be a little different... But at least you seem to have gotten what it was SUPPOSED to say : ) Hey, how on earth am I supposed to please EVERYONE on here? Most people are blatantly begging me to put all the characters through "pain and endless torment", and then there are a few (like you) who are always telling me how evil I am because I put the characters through "pain and endless torment". (sighs exasperatedly) How am I going to please you ALL?! LOL. Yeah, go ahead, lead the mob! Aww, I must admit, I'm starting to feel just the teensiest sorry for that poor guard... LOL, well, thanks for the beautiful, long review mellon-nín!

**Star-Stallion: **Hehehe, I'm so glad you asked about signature. It's kind of a funny story... Me and my friend Polly (a.k.a pollingly) were discussing how nervous we get when we post our stories (I'm pitiful, esp. since this is my first _real _attempt at a multiple chapter story). We always sit around "haunting" the computer for days afterwards, waiting for feedback... I've gotten a little more secure with the help of my WONDERFUL reviewers, but I still manage to worry over every chapter : b The two of us continued to bemoan and sympathize about it, and pretty soon the SNWCG (Society for Nerve-Wracked Computer Ghosts) was born! As for the F.F.F.F.F... Well, I have really, REALLY painful flat feet (I hardly have any arch in my feet at all, so it KILLS my back). I found out that Leeanne (a.k.a Lady Leeanne, she's Polly's sister) also has flat feet (not quite as painful, but she could still commiserate) – and so, naturally, we formed the F.F.F.F.F (Fellowship for Flat Footed Females). LOL. (whistles as she looks at length of response) How's that for a long answer to a short question? Now you'll really think before you ask me another question : ) I'll end this before I scare you off ; ) Thank you!

**Troubles8806: **Yup, Elrond's here to help our ranger (finally!). No, I don't mind answering questions at all! Yes, Eru (a.k.a Ilúlvatar) is basically the allegorical God of LotR. The Valar are just under him, and then the Miar, who have various levels of power (Gandalf, Sauron, Saruman, ...etc even the Balrogs and Shelob ). Sorry for the little "history lesson" : b (I do tend to run on when people ask me questions...) I probably wouldn't know who Eru was either, unless I'd read the Silmarillion (twice actually, it's so hard to remember all the names...). I'm not an expert, but ask me, and I love to TRY and explain : ) Oh no! I've still got quite a number of chapters left. In all this story is 24 chapters long, plus an epilogue. I'm flattered that you're enjoying THAT much! Thank you for reviewing, my loyal author's note reader! LOL.

**Drylith: **Oh... (smiles sheepishly) and I just had to go and do it again this time, didn't I? Sorry... I'm doing my best to get the chapters out on time – but RL seems out to get me (just like my computer)! Glad you liked the chapter : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**elitenschwein: **Oh, and you say _I _am evil? You're happy that Elladan is feeling guilty – shame on you! LOL. I know what you mean about wanting the bad guys to get what's coming to them, and I think on the whole, Legolas agrees with you. But you'll just have to wait and see how things come out in the end. (eg) I'm so glad you liked all the interaction between the twins, Legolas, Aragorn and Elrond : ) (sighs in relief) Whew, I'm safe from the little Nazgûl horse, at least for the moment being... (gulp) Hehe, glad you liked my NON-cliffy : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**Errhos: **I'm glad you liked the chapter! Thank you so much, muindor-nín!

**Naesse: **Yup, Estel's safe...for now ; ) Thank you so much, I'm glad you think that I'm a great writer, and that you're enjoying me story : )

**Thank you all for reviewing, and please tell if my computer continues to misbehave...Ack! Hope it doesn't delete anything more : ( **

**Next chapter will be out on Tuesday or Wednesday, and will be called "An Awakened Fear".**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and co-founder of the SNWCG, and member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	19. An Awakened Fear

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

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A/N: **(sigh) OK, I've finally got this chapter ready to post! (cheers) Please, let me know what you think of it : ) Oh, one more thing: be SURE to let me know if I missed your review. I try to answer all of them, but sometimes I don't get the e-mail alerting me of a new review : b So if you don't see a response to your review PLEASE don't assume that I'm ignoring you! I love each and every one of my reviewers : ) 

See first chapter for disclaimer. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.**

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Chapter 19: An Awakened Fear **

Moranuen wanted to groan.

Why him? Why had he volunteered so cheerfully to guard the human? He'd obviously not been in his right mind when he offered to watch Dagron for the second half of the night. But the night was so beautiful... His nocturnal instincts had played a dirty trick on him.

After he'd finally quit cursing, Dagron had snored so loudly that, despite the pleasant night air and the shimmering stars above, Moranuen hadn't been able to enjoy himself. There was just no way to properly stargaze with someone snoring in your ear. He'd hardly been able to hear the lovely song of the nightingale or the soothing chirping of the crickets. He wished that whoever had taken off the Adan's hand had just taken of his head as well. It would have saved them all a lot of trouble.

The human's primary goal in life was to make him miserable, after last night he was sure of it.

It seemed to be his lot in life, his curse, his doom, to get stuck with exasperatingly irritating prisoners. The charming personalities of his former charges ranged from the annoyingly wearisome and timid, afraid that he might bite, to the complete madman who refused to quit singing. He'd certainly guarded the full spectrum of prisoners. Now he could add Dagron to the list of memorable people he'd had the pleasure of being assigned to.

Moranuen sagged against a tree and prayed that someone would come to relieve him soon. He heard Dagron stir and wake up. They had better hurry; the life of the human and his own sanity were at stake. The man began to grumble. Moranuen closed his eyes and groaned.

_Here we go again..._

"Moranuen, is there a problem?"

"Lord Elrond!" his eyes shot open and the groan instantly died on his lips.

"Has the human been giving you any trouble?"

Why did he get the feeling that Elrond already knew the answer to his question?

"You could say so, my Lord."

"I thought he might." Elrond looked amused.

"How would you know, my Lord?"

"Glamdil told me about a one-handed prisoner with a colorful vocabulary, and, well..."

"You put two and two together, and found out that I was the one 'blessed' with the task of guarding him." Moranuen smiled good-humoredly, albeit with a slightly sour expression. "Elbereth Gilthoniel! How can any creature be so interminably loud?"

"Eru alone knows, Moranuen, Eru alone." he smiled, "But I wish to have word with this 'interminably loud creature'."

"May I ask why?" He was too startled by his lord's request to remember proper deference.

"I would like to ask him a few questions." Elrond said vaguely. "You look worn out." he scanned the frazzled-looking elf with the critical eye of healer. "Go get some rest. I'll can handle him for the time being."

"Are you sure, Lord Elrond?"

"You don't think that I can handle a one-handed man tied to a tree?" Elrond raised an eyebrow.

"Of course you can, hir_-_nín."

Elrond ignored the way Moranuen's mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. Turning his back on the smirking warrior, Elrond crouched next the tree. Natural instincts led him to examine the man's arm. He saw with satisfaction that Legolas had made a clean cut of it and that it had been bandaged properly. He would make a poultice that would insure the wound didn't become infected.

"Well, he'll live."

"That's your professional opinion?" Moranuen asked with a smile.

"Yes, it is." Elrond answered idly as he finished examining Dagron's arm. "Would you do something for me before you leave?"

"Of course. What would you like me to do?"

"Go get my herbs."

"My lord?"

"Moranuen," Elrond spoke to the dark-haired elf with infinite patience. "as a well trained and highly seasoned warrior, what would _you_ say about Dagron's severed hand?"

"Who cares?" he smiled mischievously.

Elrond sighed in exasperation.

"Um...Good riddance?" Moranuen tried a second time, wearing the same charming grin.

Elrond took on the air of a martyr.

"Very well, then, I'll just go and get those herbs..."

With a last winning smile, Moranuen darted off. Elrond sighed and shook his head and let the smile he'd been repressing break through. Apparently, while guarding Kaldur, a certain amount of the man's insolent "charm" had rubbed off on Moranuen... Some of the things he said were beginning to sound exasperatingly similar to the remarks that audacious bandit might have made. Still, he supposed after the horrible night he'd doubtless had, the younger elf could be excused a little bit of exasperating behavior.

Elrond continued to inspect Dagron's arm, more from a lack of something else to do than any real interest in the bloody stump. Poor Mora. Beneath all the pleasant smiles and infectious laughter it was easy to see how worried he was about his friend.

Going at an energetic sprint, Moranuen was soon back beside Elrond with a bag of herbs.

"Here you are, my Lord!" with a flourish, he handed the bag to Elrond. "Enough herbs to patch up all the one-handed men you want."

"Hannon le, Moranuen. I know you are tired and in need of sleep, but would you do one more thing for me?"

"You know I will, my lord." Moranuen faked sudden alarm, as if a new and horrible thought had struck him. "It doesn't involve helping you with _him_ does it?"

"No," Elrond chuckled, "I wouldn't ask anything so cruel. I was only wondering if you'd check on Estel before you get your rest. No need to report back, just see how he's doing, will you?"

"With pleasure." Moranuen said eagerly, but with more gravity than he'd shown all morning.

After Moranuen had left, Elrond centered his full attention on the distasteful task of seeing to Dagron. The man had been cursing at him through the gag all the while he'd been talking. Even _with_ the inhibiting cloth, he was successfully making his protestation known. Realization of just how "distasteful" this was going to be had not fully dawned upon Elrond. The gag was removed.

"You damn elves!" Dagron raged. "Get your bloody 'ands off me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you. I only want to have a word with—"

"I _said_, get your bloody 'ands off me!"

"You, master human, are in no position to—"

"If you're only goin' to slit my throat, why bother to 'eal me?!"

"I just told you," Elrond was getting tired of the one-way conversation, "and I'll tell you once more: I-am-not-going-to-hurt-you." he continued patiently, "I give you my word."

"The word of an _elf_! What's the good o' that?!"

"My patience wears thin." despite his mounting irritation, Elrond still attempted to reason with him. "You will answer my questions, and you will answer them _now_."

Elrond didn't need to raise his voice. Even softly spoken, the weight of his words was enough to blow away a weak-kneed man like Dagron. Dagron's cruelty was his only strength. Without power he was more of a coward than even he knew. Still, he would never comply to orders easily. He was too proud for that.

"Well then ask your questions, elf, and 'ave done."

"Why did you help Acharndil hurt my son?" Elrond chose to once more look over the man's highly obnoxious attitude.

"You mean the ranger?" Dagron asked, a fiendish glitter entering his eyes.

"I _mean_ my son." Elrond struggled with self-control. "Who are all these men? Why did you help Acharndil?"

Ignoring the first question, Dagron answered the second with glee,

"Oh, I wasn't helpin' the chief! 'e was after those two look-alike elf sons of yours. Beatin' up the ranger was entirely my pleasure!" Dagron gloated as Elrond's face darkened. "I'm quite the genius, you know. I invented a way of hurtin' 'im without doin' any permanent damage."

"And just _what_ do you mean by that?" Elrond asked threateningly.

Dagron still didn't seem to notice.

"Oho! Why, didn't I tell you?"

"I wouldn't be asking if you'd told me, now would I?" Elrond ground out between clenched teeth.

"That ranger 'o yours is a special one. Calls for special measures 'e does, 'e's not an easy one to break. Not lettin' 'im sleep, though, for the last week certainly made 'im grouchy.That so-called 'son' of yours could 'ardly keep 'is eyes open when we were though with 'im!"

Elrond was not one to resort to childish name-calling, but this man—this fiend—aroused his anger like none had for ages.

"...And when the chief gave permission..." as if oblivious to the wrath he was incurring, Dagron rambled on, "well then, it took no more 'an a couple solid punches to down 'im. 'e's a strong fighter, I'll give 'im that, but in the end we had him whimpering all right." Dagron grinned, "I don't 'ave a clue what all the nonsense he was sain' ment. Never 'eard of 'saes' or 'ada' in my life. Suppose it was that cursed language of yours, eh elf?"

Dagron struck a dangerous cord in the elf Lord's heart. His stomach clenched when he thought of Estel, alone and exhausted, with this hideous monster for a constant companion. And he had called for him... Estel had called for him and he hadn't come.

Aragorn, by human standards, was an adult, and Elrond accepted his ascent into manhood. Already he was a skilled warrior, someday he would become King of Gondor. But deep down in his heart, Elrond would always think of him simply as Estel. The hopeful, guileless, naïve child would never be erased from his memory. What Dagron said stirred up every paternal feeling of his wise, deep and loving heart, as well as his sense of his own failure to protect his youngest.

Dagron watched with pleasure the anger he was causing. He wished the elf would just kill him right then and there. He didn't want to go through whatever these elves had planned for him—anything _elves_ came up with couldn't be good. Making his words as cruel as possible, Dagron pushed Elrond's anger past the point of no return. Or so he hoped. He watched the elf clench his fists until the knuckles turned white and closed his eyes in preparation for the death stroke. No parent who had any love for their children could listen to the kind of things he'd just said and do nothing. No one had that kind of control over their emotions. All his life, Dagron had seen and experimented with others' feelings. He knew how to say things that would make any being furious.

When nothing happened he reopened his eyes. He remembered the effect his last words had and tried again to goad Elrond into violence.

"Those two look-alikes sons of yours..."

"What about them?" Elrond asked defensively, keeping his words guarded.

"You should've seen their faces!" Dagron sneered. "They're quite protective of the ranger aren't they?"

Elrond smiled grimly. The man didn't know the half of it.

"It was kinda touchin' really. Each blow to the ranger seemed to 'urt them just as much as it 'urt 'im. Oh yes, elf..." Dagron laughed as if he was recounting a fond memory and repeated, "you should 'ave seen their faces! Why three elves would be so attached to one human is more than I can say. I always thought you elves were to high up for the likes of us."

The similarity Dagron seemed to be drawing between himself and Estel made Elrond almost physically ill. Estel was _nothing_ like this man. Estel was everything good that this man wasn't. How dare he even insinuate that Estel was in anyway comparable to himself?

"Estel is _not_ like you. Unlike you he has a heart." Elrond knew the man wouldn't listen to a word he was saying, but he spoke for his own benefit none-the-less, "Unlike you he is not an animal—and _you_," Elrond let his voice rise for the first time in their conversation, "_you_ treated him worse than a dog deserves!" he leaned close until they were eye to eye, "If I were you, Dagron, I would be praying to Ilúlvatar for mercy, and hoping that he gives you the compassion that that few in Arda would show such a monster as yourself."

Dagron didn't flinch. The end was near. If he was lucky the elf would kill him quickly, painlessly. Perhaps a quick slash across the throat with his dagger... It would all be over soon. He didn't look forward to death, but he'd heard tales about elves, tales that made his blood run cold. He would do anything to avoid becoming the next victim of any of atrocities these elves were capable of. He cursed Acharndil for leaving him in the hands of creatures like these, where the most merciful way out was suicide.

The elf spoke and he couldn't resist the temptation to open his eyes. The elf simply commanded attention, he had to admit that.

Elrond demeanor fairly shone with noble and rightful disdain. It was as if Dagron didn't even deserve his anger. He deserved death, Elrond knew this, but, like Legolas, he had come to the conclusion that he would wait for Eru's own judgment and see him punished justly.

"In Eru's perfect time, and with his perfect justice," Elrond gave him one last, meaningful look, "you will be dealt with."

Dagron quivered. He couldn't help it. When the regal elf looked at him with that knowing certainty of manner... There was no question but that he was telling the truth. The truth shook Dagron to the core.

The elf turned his back on him, and with a dream-like swiftness and a flutter of his light cape, the terrifying apparition was gone. Without Elrond's unforgettable presence to physically haunt him, Dagron slowed from a visible quiver to barely noticeable trembling. He was even able to think "rationally" now. He reasoned that all his fears were sprung from nothing more than his nerves being overloaded. After all, Elrond's weren't the first pair of petrifyingly furious elven eyes that had examined him that day.

But why had he left? He'd expected death at the hands of a vindictive parent, instead had received nothing more than a withering look and then a sudden departure. Why? The question haunted him almost as much as intense face of the elf. Why wasn't he dead at this very moment? Dagron relived the look of on the elf's face as he declared with absolute certainty that a horrible fate was pending for him. He had stated unwaveringly that it was only a matter of time before Eru would judge him. He'd used the word justice. What was just in his case? What was just punishment for his crimes? It was a new consideration for Dagron.

Justice... He thought about all that might mean for him. Then he wished that he _were_ dead. Only, now he was beginning to realize that death just might not be the backdoor for him, but instead merely the start of manifold other, and more horrible, retribution. Retribution that would last for eternity. If this elf was right, than he was headed for worse a worse penalty than his pitifully insignificant mind had, or could, ever conceive.

Dagron began to quake uncontrollably.

These elves were as cruel as rumor had it, only they used subtle weapons of torture. Dagron shuddered and wished with every ounce of his brutal will that the elf had run him through. What would be seeing and doing at this very moment, if his death _had_ been culmination of their 'discussion'? Would he be meeting an angry Ilúlvatar and never-ending damnation, or a blank hole full of forgetfulness and endless sleep?

This was a day of new thoughts for Dagron.

For the first time in his life, Dagron knew what true fear was—and perhaps felt even a little remorse.

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**To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**Star-Stallion: **Let's see, when will I be posting... Well, I suppose you've already figured that one out by now. If you haven't, well, it's ... um... now : ) Yeah, flat feet can be _really_ painful. What makes it much worse is that it doesn't just affect my feet. When they keep turning in, it puts my legs out of alignment, which puts my back out of alignment, which puts my neck out of alignment... So I end up being really sore all over : P OK, sorry for burdening you with all that unnecessary info, LOL. Thank you!

**HarryEstel: **Yes, Elladan really should learn that everything can't _possibly_ always be his fault, shouldn't he? I'm glad you thought that the last chapter was so sweet! Hope you like this one as well, even though _some_ of the major characters in it aren't exactly what I'd call "sweet" ; ) Thank you for reviewing!

**jacquelinestel: **ROTFL! Legolas the crocodile hunter, and Estel the crocodile – now THAT is an interesting picture! Aww, poor JE is getting beaten up... I think you have a few out-of-control characters, mellon-nín, they've ganging up on you ; ) Hehe, an appearance by your brother! So it's a normal occurrence in your house to come into the kitchen and find Legolas and Estel rummaging through the fridge? At least, your brother didn't seem too surprised : ) I'm glad you liked the chapter...er...at least your brother thought you did, LOL. Thanks!

**elvingirl3737: **Oh no, not you too! Real Life seems to be attacking a lot of people especially viciously lately : P Well anyways, I'm really glad to "see" you again now – even if that nasty "evil voice of reality" insists on interfering (sticks tongue out at "EVoR"). No need to apologize for being late – I'm delighted to hear from you _any_ time! I'm SO glad to hear that you thought I wrote Legolas' loyalty and stubbornness and the twins aguish well! And I wrote a cool fight scene! Yay! LOL, ah yes, an excellent way to circumvent evil authors who want to keep you in suspense – get horribly behind, and then read it all at once : ) ROTFL! Um yeah, I love you too... (g) Well, I'm glad Estel's suffering made you so happy... Hehe, I agree though, I don't think leaving Dagron to the twins was the most merciful thing Legolas could have done ; ) (giggle) Though, apparently, in his opinion Elrond isn't much better. Oh so you DO believe that I would kill Estel, do you? LOL, well he may look safe enough for the moment, but you'll just have to wait and see whether or not I'll carry through on my threats (eg). I'm glad you think I handled Elladan's guilt well, though - as you'll see in future chapters – he can be rather stubborn about those sort of things : ) LOL, well I hope you survive the vicious attack of the EVoR : ) Thank you for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**annika: **Hello! Oh, it's always so exciting to find out that there's yet another reader out there brave enough to read my story, LOL. I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying it! Hope this update was soon enough for you : ) Thank you SO much for the encouraging review!!!

**Hyperactive Forever** Remember, I'm insane – how would _I _know whether if it was a quadruple-negative? LOL. Don't worry, I've got several reviewers who mix up words to make new ones, and I'm not above doing it myself (it's so much fun, and easier than trying to think of the "real" word you want to use ; D ). Well, you and I will always hold all those dear, forgotten elves in the highest esteem – despite all those "forgetful" so called "fans" of LotR ; ) Oh yes, I COMPLETELY understand! I'm always SO thankful (and consider it one of the highest compliments) when someone gives me a death-threat : ) Hehehe, love the quote, and I've got another one for you:

"I've got the brain of a four year old. I'll bet he was glad to be rid of it." _- Groucho Marx_

LOL. Feeling a little uncomfortable knowing that you're reading a story written by someone with the intellect of a four-year-old? (g) Thanks for reviewing!

**Naesse: **Hmm, well I'm not really sure. Was that a cliffie? (g) I hope the chapter lived up to your expectations. Thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**Troubles8806**Whew! I'm SO relieved that you don't mind : ) That's a great theory, too, it makes a lot of sense! Well, I think the book I would recommend would be _The Silmarillion_ – it really is the "history book" of Middle Earth. I know it sounds daunting, and in some ways it is. Just the names alone in that book are enough to drive you crazy! But, if you find yourself a copy of _The Atlas of Middle Earth _(by Karen Wynn Fonstad) and _The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth: Tolkien's World from A to Z_ (by Robert Foster), and take a few notes along the way so you can keep the names straight...Well, you should be alright. (I have a pitiful memory, so you might not need nearly so much help remembering things ; ) Of course, if you don't have the time to read _The Silmarillion _I'm always happy to try and answer any questions you have (I, obviously, don't know all the answers either, but I can still TRY!). Hehehe, I'm STILL keeping you in the dark? Well, I'm glad, I wouldn't want my readers to become TOO comfortable, LOL. Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Drylith: **LOL, yeah you don't see the twins speechless too often, do you? (g) I don't doubt that Elrond _would_ be totally grey if he weren't an elf. Good thing for him that he is. I'm sure having a _very _good sense of humor doesn't hurt either ; ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **(g) I'm glad you're liking it! Well, let's see... This story is twenty-four chapters long, plus an epilogue, so there's still a number of chapters left to go. Thank you so much for reviewing!

**elitenschwein: **(g) Glad you liked the chappy – I was hoping you'd like the part with the knives : ) Yes, at least for the moment Aragorn's being a good boy, LOL. How long do you think THAT will last? Yes, yes, yes, I admit – I wrote all that angsty guilt especially for Elladan... But you don't need to be so blatant about your love for having characters tortured! : ) So you WANT another cliffy... I may just be able to give you what you're looking for ; ) Hehe, don't worry, I don't think it'll be as bad as the last (I don't want to incur the wrath of the little Nazgûl horse, now do I?). As for more adventure and less calm, well, I'm afraid that "authors code" doesn't permit me to tell you ; ) Thanks! (huggles)

**A special thanks to **Daughter of the Elvenking **for adding me to your alerts and favorite authors! **

**The next chapter, "An Unlikely Advisor", should be out on Friday or Saturday. **

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice-president and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F **


	20. An Unlikely Advisor

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

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A/N: **This chapter is really just a break from all the angst. I love writing humor and...well, this chapter happened right in the middle of all the angst. I'm REALLY anxious to know what everyone thinks of it... (winks pointedly at lurkers) LOL. If you don't have the time or energy, don't feel guilty ; ) But please, if you can, I would absolutely LOVE to hear your thoughts! 

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.**

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Chapter 20: An Unlikely Advisor**

Elrond walked past Moranuen and Glamdil, who watched in concern as their lord, fists clenched, face a mask of pain, left the clearing. Neither could remember seeing Elrond so upset. Anyone could see that something was troubling him.

"He has been through a lot." Glamdil said understandingly, his voice full of compassion.

"Yes." Moranuen's voice was soft as he contemplated what his friend had said. "And I have a feeling that whatever he said," he looked meaningfully at Dagron, "it couldn't have helped."

Glamdil nodded and sighed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Now free of all curious faces, Elrond walked a ways into the trees before stopping. Dagron's words clung to his thoughts, refusing to be dismissed. First they made him angry. "Angry" was really the understatement of the millennium to describe Elrond feelings. The rage boiled so hot within him, that it nearly scared him.

The forest was full of both young and old trees. Every shade of green was faithfully represented by leaf, grass and bush. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, the wind was gently blowing...Elrond brought his fist down on the trunk of a tree, abruptly ending all thoughts of the beauty that surrounded him. The things that that fiend had done to his son were unthinkably cruel. The phrases that Dagron had used came back to taunt him mercilessly.

..._I invented a way of hurtin' 'im without doin' any permanent damage....'e's not an easy one to break... That so called 'son' of yours could 'ardly keep 'is eyes open when we were though with 'im!... in the end we had him whimpering all right..._

He brought his other fist down, but felt the anger begin to dissolve into heart-ache for Estel. Why couldn't he have been there? The thing that haunted him most was the images he now had of Estel, alone and calling for him, without any reply ever coming. He rested his forehead against the rough bark and groaned.

"My lord?"

Elrond's initial reaction was to groan again: why couldn't they leave him alone, even for a minute? He reduced his protestations to an inaudible sigh, and raised his head to see who it was. It was Glamdil, looking very awkward and uncomfortable.

"What is it Glamdil?" Elrond asked, watching the nervous elf quizzically.

"It is just that I...Ah..."

"Is Estel worse?"

"No," Glamdil worked quickly to relieve him, "no, he is well."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, my lord, I..."

Elrond crossed his arms and waited patiently. The sight was certainly an interesting one, he'd never seen his second-in-command so flustered! He had a hard time keeping a smile of amusement from showing as the younger elf actually began to fidget. Whatever was disturbing poor Glamdil had the competent warrior almost to the dire point of wringing his hands—a resort Elrond had never seen him brought to before. The black-haired elf stumbled over a few more words and finally brought his honest, golden-brown eyes up to meet his lord's.

"Oh, I wish Lord Glorfindel were here!" he said at last. "He would know what to say. If only Erestor, or, or anyone but me were here, they would know what to do. Elbereth! Why can't do this right? Anyone else could!"

"What are you talking about?" Elrond broke into his self-abasing tirade. "Glamdil, if something is the matter, please, tell me. Perhaps there is something you wish to talk to me about?"

"It is not so much that _I_ would like to talk to you, as much as I was hoping to have you talk about it to me," noticing Elrond's blank expression, Glamdil attempted to clarify, only to make it all even more confusing. "I was hoping that maybe if I came here you would talk to me and I could talk to you and if you talked then..."

"Glamdil, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Forgive me, my Lord." Glamdil flinched at how nonsensical he knew he must be sounding.

"You haven't said anything yet," Elrond's lips curved only slightly. "for what do you ask forgiveness? Are you about do something you will regret, or is it something you have already done?"

"No, hir-nin!" Glamdil's face colored with embarrassment at the good-natured teasing. "At least, I hope what I say does not offend." he tried to explain his seemingly abnormal behavior, "I was standing with Moranuen and saw you suddenly leave. I couldn't help but notice that you were..."

"Acting strangely?" Elrond supplied the missing description of himself with still more amusement, and watched the young elf squirm.

"Well, forgive me for saying so, but yes. I know it was presumptuous of me, but from the look on your face I could not help but wonder if..."

"I was mentally stable?" Elrond was enjoying this game of "finish-the-sentence", but he was really becoming curious as to Glamdil's original intentions for this encounter.

"My Lord..." Elrond could sense, by the way the earnest tone of his voice, that Glamdil was about to satisfy his curiosity. "My Lord, I came to see if you need anyone to talk to, just in case you were troubled about something."

Glamdil let the words tumble out and then instantly ducked his had with sudden mortification at how bold his words had sounded. But he had said it. From the moment Elrond had walked past him, wearing that look of pain, he had known that something had needed to be said. No one—not even a wise lord such as Elrond—was above needing someone to talk to. He knew it. He suspected that the twins and Legolas were rather too emotionally involved in the situation themselves to provide the sympathetic ear that Elrond needed right now. The question was whether he was the kind of elf who was good for that sort of thing. Eru! He had no clue how to go about helping the elven Lord, he was not a counselor or an advisor! Surely helping Elrond required much older and wiser beings, like Glorfindel or Erestor. But he had to try. He admired Elrond so much, he had every ounce of his loyal, soldier's heart. He couldn't just sit by and watch him struggle with so much pain.

Now he felt obligated to say something more. Most likely, he would just make more of a fool out of himself with his accursedly clumsy tongue. How he hated being the center of attention...

"I have already taken up much of your time. I am sorry," he prepared to go, "I will leave now."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

"Hannonlemellon_-_nín"

Glamdil was stunned. Elrond had always been equally kind to everyone, from Lord Glorfindel to the youngest elfling. He never flaunted his title as "Lord of Imladris". He never ordered anyone to call him "Lord", and he didn't have to. Those around him were compelled to respect him. It was unthinkable to do otherwise. Or at least, Glamdil had never thought about it before... And now here he was, in a very uncomfortable situation to begin with, and Lord Elrond suddenly calling him "friend"—what was he suppose to do now?

_Well, Glamdil, you started this absurd little conversation and now you have got to carry through with it. _

"But Lo—" he couldn't bring himself to say "Lord", it sounded so stiff and ungrateful after just having been called "friend". "That is, I mean, there is no need to thank me, my l..."

It was hopeless.

Elrond laughed. He couldn't stop himself. The poor elf couldn't even settle on what to call him.

Glamdil steadily became more flustered as his attempts to straighten matters only made Elrond laugh harder. Now he _really_ was out of his comfort zone. If he didn't know how to deal with a serious Elrond he _certainly_ didn't know how to deal with a hysterical Elrond. Not that Elrond was actually hysterical...yet.

Just as Elrond was getting a handle on his laughter, Glamdil decided it was time to say something—it was a fatal mistake.

"Is something the matter, my Lord?"

Coupled as Glamdil's words were with a timid pat to his shoulder, Elrond broke out into another bout of laughter. This was all making Glamdil decidedly uncomfortable. How did Glorfindel ever cope with the unpredictable moods of Elrond? Well, he reasoned, perhaps he doesn't _normally_ break out into hysterical laugher during their counsel sessions... He would have to talk to Glorfindel.

Elrond finally had pity on his disconcerted would-be advisor, and stopped laughing.

"Come," he shook his head with the lingering effects of his laughter and motioned for Glamdil to follow him. "we should be getting back to the camp before they begin to wonder what happened to us." Glamdil nodded and fell silently into step. "Thank you, Glamdil."

"But—My lord, I... I haven't _done_ anything. I..."

"Oh, but you have." they reached the clearing and Elrond turned to face him, putting his hand appreciatively on his shoulder. "You have done more for me than you may realize."

Glamdil stared wonderingly after him. Elrond was right, he hadn't a clue what he'd done that was so useful. The only thing he'd done was make a fool of himself. Well, if it helped... But he doubted that he'd ever be able to do whatever it was he'd done a second time.

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**To Be Continued...**

**Reviewer responses:**

**silvertears630: **You have no idea how happy your review made me! I was especially excited that you liked "my" Moranuen so much : ) I was so grateful to Cassia and Sio for letting me use him, but I was a little afraid that I would "ruin" him... (gulp) Oh, I'm SO glad you liked the part with Elrond confronting Dagron, and FINALLY putting a little fear into that monster. (eg) Yay! (squeals) I read in your bio that you're a lurker? Well, I'm very excited to have coaxed a review out of a "professional lurker", LOL. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you're liking it – it is SOOO encouraging : )

**Star-Stallion: **LOL, I'm glad that I wrote that realistic enough that is actually scared _you_! Hehehe, it's hard to keep resolutions not to sleep, isn't it? : ) Thanks so much for the review!

**HarryEstel: **Nope, very few would have been as noble and merciful as Elrond was to Dagron –_ I_ probably wouldn't have been! Thanks so much for reviewing!

**jacquelinestel: **Hehehe, poor Estel. JE, you tell your brother to quit throwing our beloved characters down the stairs! If they were to get hurt... Just tell him that there are a lot of girls who would come seeking vengeance if he were to "damage" either Legolas or Estel ; ) Only _authors_ are allowed to do that! Yes Legolas, _do _give him the evil eye – he deserves it for hurting my poor ranger. But Estel, let this be a lesson to you – that's what happens when you don't go to bed when you're told! LOL. Thanks!

**Naesse: **Yeah, quite a few people have already come to me with the request to punch Dagron's lights out...But I still need him – so you'll just have to settle for threatening to hurt him for now... Practice "the look" and perhaps you can help Elrond strike a little fear into him ; ) LOL. Thanks!

**Hyperactive Forever: **ROTFL!!! "Kamikaze Death Birds" (I watched "The Birds" at night recently and scared myself silly!), and Rabid Hair Eating Beavers... : ) Those are some great threats! Isn't it fun to think of new words? I do it by accident all the time, so it's easier to just say "I made it up" instead of "Oops, I've said something stupid again, haven't I?", LOL. Hehehe, well, I'm glad that my four-year-old brain is entertaining all you "older people" ; D Aww, I'm sure you have more than cobwebs and empty space in your head : ) At least _part _of your brain must be intellectual if you're in Advance Standing classes! (I've been homeschooled all my life so I wouldn't know _exactly _what that means, but hey, it _sounds _impressive : ) Anyways...Thanks for reviewing!

**elitenschwein: **(cheers) You think I'm doing Mora like C&S?! You have no idea what a relief it is to me to hear you say that! I was so afraid I might "ruin" him : b LOL, I just couldn't resist mentioning Kaldur. Oh I know, I can hardly believe I actually created as annoying a character as Dagron! (as the author, though, I can foil his horrible plans : ) Hehehe, I'm getting tons of requests to kill Dagron...But I'm afraid that I still need him! Sorry : ) All I can suggest is that you work on giving him "the look" and help Elrond put a little fear into him, LOL. Oh, don't EVER (I repeat EVER!) apologize or pity me when you ramble! I absolutely LOVE it when people ramble. I love to ramble myself, and if you don't ramble back...Well, the conversation can get pretty one-sided ; ) Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**polingly: **Well, I think this will be my last chat with you until you get back (and even then, we'll be leaving!). (sob) I don't know how I'll survive! Brutal R/L : b Don't apologize... Hehehe, glad you thought the bit with Mora was funny : ) Well, I got so tired reading stories were the only mode of revenge on the villains is killing them – what kind of revenge is that?! I find it so much more satisfying when the heroes remain noble and don't become obsessed with revenge, and the bad guys live to feel fear... Yeah, I guess you're right, the thought of trying to tie his hands behind his back after...ew...that is gross : b Well, I might not actually get all that many posts in while your gone. We found some promising land (YAHOO!) and might start building a house soon, so we'll be REALLY busy right up until the day WE leave on vacation. Anyways, hopefully we'll reconnect some time after both our vacations (I'm kind of hoping, like Imbecamiel mentioned, that we'll be able to e-mail each other a few times while we're in AZ). Hannon le, gwathel-nín esse Ilúlvatar!

**Drylith: **Hehe, I must admit, it was fun to write a scared Dagron : ) Well, we'll see just what Iluvatar has in mind for Dagron... Though of course, this being _my_ story, he'll have to consult me first! Ah the power rush! (maniacal laughter) Hehe, it's probably a good thing it's not like that in REAL life... Yeah, the "Complete Guide to Middle Earth" is SO helpful, isn't it? I don't know how I'd have gotten through the Silmarillion without it : ) Thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**EverKitsune: **Right behind – or with – C&S?!?! Really? Wow. I'm speechless. I'm glad you like my story _that _much! Oh yes, I absolutely love Mora (it was fun writing the part where he got so "cocky" LOL) – and all the other characters too : ) Hehehe, glad you liked Legolas' insult. Yeah, I know what you mean about Elrohir, he really deserves more attention! I'm actually writing (or TRYING to write) a story that centers around Elladan and Elrohir, where they BOTH get quite a bit of attention. But, I'm not sure how long it'll be before I finish it, right now I'm running low on inspiration : b I'm glad you think I do a good job putting depth into characters, I try very hard to do so! Anyways...Thank you SO much for going back and reviewing all those chapters! (I'm not sure exactly what the "highly recommend" button is for, I just do it for any story I like...I think it's some sort of trial thing they're doing on here.)

**Troubles8806: **No need to apologize – I know how horrible RL can get. Oh, what part do you have in the play? It sounds like a lot of fun. I hope your final performance went well! I'm so glad to hear that you're still enjoying the story! Thank you so much for taking the time out of an insane schedule to review the chapter!

**My special thanks to **EverKitsune **For adding me to your author's alerts and Favorite list! **

**The next chapter should be here Tuesday or Wednesday, as usual : ) It's called... um... um... no it's not called "um" it's.. ah... (sheepish grin) Sorry... Figuring out the title of the next chapter seems to have slipped my incredibly flighty artist's mind... again... There's a reason I'm called the Blasted Butterfly, you know ; )**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG, and member of the F.F.F.F.F.**


	21. A Perfect Distraction

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

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A/N: Grr…I hate the chapter title…but it was all I could think of at the last moment (little disorganized me just HAD to leave it till then : b ). Some more humor at the beginning here, but I have a feeling you won't be laughing by the end… (eg)****

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Chapter 21:A Perfect Distraction**Grr…I hate the chapter title…but it was all I could think of at the last moment (little disorganized me just HAD to leave it till then : b ). Some more humor at the beginning here, but I have a feeling you won't be laughing by the end… (eg) 

They'd been walking for hours. A litter had been made for Aragorn, and now two elves walked, carrying it between them. Elladan and Elrohir had, of course, been eager to carry it themselves, but one "look" from Elrond and they relinquished the task to two warriors. Legolas saw how they faired and decided that Elrond probably wouldn't look any more favorably on him with his wounded arm, volunteering. So the three of them settled for walking beside the stretcher.

Aragorn was awake now, and they were doing their best to distract him from the painful jerking his damaged body was receiving. That was proving to be enough of task to keep them busy. Even the light step and firm handling of the elves couldn't completely steady all movement.

Aragorn was still exhausted, but at the moment his broken ribs and the arrow wound were his biggest problem. Each small pull on his chest sent waves of agony searing through his body. The night of sleep had given him some strength, but with each step forward alerting him to new aches and reminding him of old ones, he was beginning to wonder if it was enough. He understood why Elrond hesitated to give him any of his notoriously "delicious" tea in his half-dead state of exhaustion, it was just too dangerous. But he still wished he could fall into the trouble-free oblivion of sleep. He dozed a few times, only to be brought back by nightmares or more pain.

Legolas could see Aragorn's face steadily becoming paler and paler until it was quite literally as white as a sheet. He leaned over to wipe away the sweat that glistened on his friend's face. He only wished there was more he could do. It was the worst possible torture to watch him suffer. In their numerous misadventures together he'd seen the human wounded and hurt many times, but that didn't mean he'd gotten used to it. He never would.

Next to him, Dolenil walked with as proud a bearing and as immaculate a wardrobe as ever. Legolas sighed with relief. For a while, there, he'd thought he would _never_ get rid of the elf's unwanted demonstrations of his anxiety. It had taken the better part of the morning, but finally he'd gotten Dolenil to quit fussing over his arm. The task was difficult, Dolenil had need to be convinced that, no, he wasn't bleeding to death and, yes, the wound had been properly bandaged. With hindsight, Legolas could look back and laugh at his dignified "guardian's" rather undignified agitation, but at the time it hadn't been so terribly amusing; though the twins had certainly thought it was.

All the while, Elladan and Elrohir continued their hovering ministration on their little brother. That, in itself, was a distraction.

"How are you feeling?" Elladan felt Aragorn's forehead for the twelfth time that morning.

"Elladan," Aragorn groaned in annoyance and weakly tried to swat Elladan's hand away. "it's not like I'm about to die or something. You can quit mothering me."

It was nice to know that someone cared, but sometimes he felt overwhelmed by his brothers' suffocating amount of concern for his health. Suffocating wasn't an exaggerated term to describe their care. With the two of them clustered over and around him often he felt himself developing an acute bout of claustrophobia. Every time he suffered from their "care" he felt a new sense of sympathy for his blond friend's fear of tight, enclosed spaces. He hated being the center of their worries and he hated being treated like an invalid or as if he was on the verge of death—even though _occasionally_ he was.

Elrohir came up, reached over and swept a strand of sweat-dampened hair back from Aragorn's face.

"I think your fever is up again…" he continued to bother over him. "Yes, I'm quite sure it is." Aragorn opened his mouth to protest, but Elrohir cut him off, "Come now, Estel, you can't always complain about how we're 'mothering' you. It's always been a highly exaggerated accusation and now it's becoming highly overused as well. We are _not_ mothering you. What we _are_ doing is simply brotherly concern for a badly wounded younger sibling."

"I wasn't going to accuse you of mothering me, Elrohir." Aragorn said with a happy, although still weak, smile.

"You weren't?" Elrohir asked.

"No, of course not,muindor_-_nín! I would _never_ accuse _you_ of mothering!" Elrohir looked pleased although slightly disconcerted and suspicious of his brothers sudden good-will. "Mothering is something that only Elladan can do," Elladan scowled and crossed his arms while his twin smirked, but Aragorn wasn't done, "_You_, my dear Elrohir, have not perfected the art of mothering yet, but you are doing quite well at _smothering_, none-the-less." Aragorn gave them both a sly grin and relaxed, triumphant, onto the stretcher.

The twins realized at once that Aragorn was "indisposed" and couldn't pay for his crime, so they decided to take it out on each other in a session of "friendly" argument.

Legolas smiled. He was glad to see the twins were distracting Estel, if unintentionally. Aragorn was now tranquilly resting and listening to the background "music" his brothers were creating. The only thing left to alert Legolas to Aragorn's pain was the slight clenching of his jaw whenever he was jolted. Legolas still wished there was some way for _him_ to help his friend… Distraction. He needed, somehow to distract Estel from his pain. What he could he _possibly_ do that would distract him?

Before he could think of anything to do, something happened to him that he would, unfortunately, remember for the rest of his immortal life. Yes, it was that…Memorable.

Without knowing how it had happened, he found himself staring at the sky—and from an unusual vantage point. He was in fact, lying flat on his back on the ground; though how he'd gotten there remained, for the moment, a mystery. When the full truth of what had just befallen him had finally sunk in he was quick to scramble to his feet. But not quickly enough to elude the curious eyes of at least three people. In that short and overwhelmingly humiliating moment, both the twins and Dolenil had gotten a full look at him. The Prince of Mirkwood, sprawled out on the forest floor, was not a sight they often encountered.

"Legolas, my friend," Elrohir finally choked out, "did you just do what I think you did?"

A dazed, dusty and extremely embarrassed Legolas sullenly ignored him.

"Legolas," Elladan refused to let the subject drop. "I just saw the most _amazing_ thing back there!"

"What? What happened?!" Aragorn demanded impatiently.

Legolas shot him the best imitation of Elrond's glare that his disgruntled wits could produce, but not even "the look" could shut up Elladan at the moment.

"I could hardly believe my eyes!" he continued in exaggerated astonishment.

"Then don't." Legolas suggested wryly.

Elladan remained undaunted.

"Eru and all the Valar above! I could have _sworn_ I just saw a Silvan elf trip over a tree root and land flat on his back! "

"You tripped—over a _tree root_?!" Aragorn asked incredulously.

"It-was-not-a-tree-root," he ground out between clenched teeth, "it-was-a-rock."

The humiliating thought of him, a Silvan elf, tripping over a tree root of all things, was just too much to be born.

"Oh," Elladan sighed in fake understanding, "I see…"

"Yes," Elrohir joined his brother in mock sympathy, "that makes a _world_ of difference. Estel, did you hear that? Legolas tripped over a _rock,_ NOT a tree-root."

It would have been a miracle if Estel had heard over his own raucous laughter.

"Do give us all the details, mellon_-_nín," Elladan pleaded, "we would so hate to get it wrong when we tell Ada and Moranuen…"

"Don't you dare tell them!" Legolas threatened, at the same time distractedly brandishing a wet cloth that he'd miraculously retained during his fall. "If you do I'll…" Legolas wracked his brain for something impressive enough to finish his intimidating speech with.

"You'll what?" Elladan stepped into the gap, "Whack us with your terrible 'Wet Rag of Doom'?"

"Oh please, Great Prince of Mirkwood, spare us your wrath!" Elrohir stared fearfully at the rag in Legolas's hand. "We'll do _anything_, only don't hit us with the 'Rag of Doom'!"

Legolas looked at Aragorn, who was by now helpless with laugher, and shrugged. A dangerous gleam entered his eyes. With a grin and a quick: "You two asked for it!" he brought the cloth with a resounding "whap" across Elladan's face. Before the first victim of the 'Rag of Doom' had a chance to so much as sputter, Legolas had already treated Elrohir to the same horrible judgment.

Legolas looked at Dolenil.

"Anyone else?" the small smile that Dolenil had worn a moment ago mysteriously disappeared without a trace. "No?" he smiled condescendingly at the two very wet faces of the twins and lowered the "Rag of Doom". "I had a feeling that would be the case."

Elrohir brushed back one of the many wet strands of hair that clung to his face, Elladan growled, and Legolas smiled sweetly.

The blond elf smiled down at the laughing human. Silver eyes, one minute full of boundless mirth were the next minute clouded in pain. Aragorn tried no to let the others see the change. He should have known how futile it would be to try avoiding what, in the end, was inevitable. Although at times during their argument the twins hardly appeared to take any notice of Aragorn, their attention was caught and a cessation of hostilities was called the moment his chuckling turned into coughing.

As for Legolas, he saw his friend's eyes cloud in pain and was immediately motioning for the two elves carrying the stretcher to stop. Supporting Aragorn's head until the coughs subsided, he helped him with a drink of water. The ranger fell back, panting for each breath and drained of his last energy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Elrond walked back from his position at the head of the procession. He had a feeling that the road would not be dealing kindly with his youngest son's weakened strength and guessed that Aragorn would be needing to rest soon. It was not necessary to push on too strenuously and for Aragorn's sake they wouldn't.

At first he'd thought about suggesting that they stay right were they had been and not risk moving Estel. But he could see that staying in Acharndil's former residence for even one more night would probably not have been pleasant for any of his sons or Legolas. He could tell that they all wanted to be back in Rivendell as soon as possible. And he wouldn't mind getting their hand-full of prisoners delivered into more secure custody, either. For now though, he would leave Glorfindel to keep order in Rivendell and trust the guards to watch their prisoners well. They would take everything slowly and get to Rivendell when they could.

But there was more to Elrond's worry. Although Estel's condition was first and foremost, in the back of his mind he still wondered and worried about the escape of Acharndil. Glamdil had reported the disturbing news before they'd left. Three elves followed the man for quite a distance. The only thing they found was the body of a man with a bow—throat brutally cut. Apparently Acharndil didn't take to kindly to his men failing him. But eventually the elves had fallen far behind Acharndil and were forced to give up. The enigmatical human had vanished from their sight, and Elrond could only hope he'd disappeared from their lives as well.

Elrond could tell that the news disturbed Elladan and Elrohir even more than it did him. Beyond frustration, Elladan had glared off into the woods for half the morning, refusing to eat. He pulled himself together when it came time to leave, but Elrond could sense the underlying turbulence in both him and Elrohir.

The Prince had surprised him with an unusual show of self-control. He'd really expected the same response he'd gotten from the twins. In the beginning he could clearly see Legolas struggling for mastery over his angry feelings, but it had passed. Afterwards he'd made himself useful, helping with menial tasks around the camp and keeping himself busy right up until they'd left. Elrond's respect for the young elf had gone up considerably, watching him occupy himself with anything that would keep him mind from the dark paths that it would, otherwise, have traveled. Yes, in just one day his estimation had risen considerably.

"Are you alright now, mellon_-_nín?"

The instant the words were spoken, Legolas realized how stupid they must have sounded. Of course he wasn't "alright"! Aragorn was going to answer, but before he could Elrond came up beside them. The elf lord put a gentle hand to Aragorn's forehead. Then he motioned for the stretcher to be set down under the shade of a nearby tree.

"Ada?" Aragorn instantly responded to his touch.

"How are you feeling? Tell me the truth, ion-nín, tell me _exactly_ how you are feeling."

"I ache all over," Aragorn answered obediently, "and my head feels light."

Carefully, Elrond peeled back the loose bandage that covered his wound. He sighed when he came to the third layer. Somehow, two of the stitches had been broken and blood was beginning to color the white cloth. It was only a small amount, but Elrond knew it should be re-stitched. The wound itself was red and irritated; however, it didn't look infected. Elrond scanned the weary face of his son with an expert eye and decided that what Estel needed most was another good, long sleep.

"We're staying here for the night." he rewrapped the bandages around Estel's chest.

"But Ada," Aragorn felt the rays of the sun directly above him, falling through any breach they could find in the tree branches. "it's the middle of the afternoon."

"None-the-less, we'll plan on staying here tonight." Elrond said firmly. "Elladan," he turned to his eldest, "please get a fire going."

Aragorn listened as a fire was lit. Elrond left his side and returned in a few minutes. Aragorn smelled the steamy odor of herbs as a hot cup of tea was held up for him to drink.

"Ada, I thought you said you weren't going to give me any tea!" he loudly protested.

"It's not my normal tea, Estel. I tried to remove most of the sleep inducing herbs and put in ones to help you with the pain. It's only slightly sedative, but you still must sleep."

"It may be only slightly sedative, but I'll bet it's still not lost it's disgusting flavor."

In spite of his complaining, Aragorn drank the tea—quickly.

"Nope," he made a face, "still just as foul tasting as ever."

"Sleep now." Elrond ignored the compliment to his famous brew. "You must regain your strength if you wish to be on the road tomorrow."

Elrond was glad to see the furrows of pain recede from Aragorn's brow as he slipped off into a peaceful rest. He waited to make sure he was asleep before unwrapping the bandages, redoing the stitches and then checking his other minor wounds.

"How is he?" Elrohir's gentle voice enquired.

"Very tired and very worn out, but I believe he'll be alright." Elrond ran a hand over his eyes.

"Let's move him closer to the fire." Legolas suggested, taking up one end of the litter.

Elladan took the other and they carefully moved him over to campfire.

"There." Legolas pronounced wearily and slumped to the ground with everyone following suit.

The day, or at least what was left of it, passed. A light breeze sprung up in the West, bringing with it the first hints of the coming Winter and making the warmth of the fire very welcome. Legolas and the Peredhils were content to stay where they were and watch Estel. They took up their normal stations: Legolas and Elrond on one side, the twins on the other.

In a reflex that had become as natural as breathing, Legolas reached out to lay his hand on the ranger's chest, right above his heart. Then he knew something was wrong.

* * *

**To be Continued… **

**Reviewer responses:**

**HarryEstel: **LOL, poor Glamdil, indeed... I agree though, it was certainly sweet of him to try to help Elrond - even if the poor guy hadn't the faintest idea how he was supposed to go about it : ) I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**EverKitsune: **I'm so glad that you liked the little break from all the angst! Hehe, I love writing humor. Probably why it keeps insisting on squeezing in even in my angst stories... Yep, LOTS of twins and Elrond in the next story. If I ever manage to finish it, that is. I've had a SERIOUS case of writer's block lately, and I can't seem to write anything : P LOL, good to hear that I'll have at least one reader when I finally get my brain to cooperate again ; ) Thank you so much for taking the time to review!

**polingly: **Ok, I know you won't be getting this till after you've gotten back from your vacation, so first of all - welcome back! Second of all, I MISS YOU!!! (sobs) YAY! I'm so glad you like the way I write Elrond! I really like him too, but he can be really hard to write, because he's just so... wise and noble and... complicated : ) Especially when he's dealing with as many emotions as he is now, it can be really hard to get him to stay in character : P Looking forward to e-mailing you in AZ - by the time you read this, we'll probably be on the road driving down there. Thank you so much for reviewing, gwathel-nin!

**elvingirl3737: **I'm SO happy to hear that you like the way I write Elrond! I really like him, but trying to write him was pretty... intimidating, to say the least : ) A gold star! Ooo, pretty, shiny things... (stares vacantly into space) (blinks) Ahem! Um, that is... Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the fun break from the angst! I LOVE writing humor, so it's pretty much inevitable that some will find its way into every story I write : ) Thank you so much for taking the time to review, mellon-nin!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **(jumps up and down) Suliad, mellon-nín! I missed you a LOT! But really, I just assumed that R/L had taken a nasty turn for the busier ; ) And I completely understand how computers can be…grrr… But I'm glad to have you back, it was wonderful to have THREE whole reviews to read from you – in ONE sitting! I always enjoy a paragraph by paragraph review : ) ROTFL! I loved your little "journal" of "The Latest Tales of My Guard", you really had me laughing! I'm glad the two of you are having so much… fun… together. (g) Glad you liked the mention of Kaldur. Yeah, it was fun to FINALLY be able to have Dagron getting a little bit of what he deserves. (eg) LOL, I had a lot of fun writing chapter twenty with Glamdil trying to comfort Elrond. Oh thank you for pointing out my misspelling of Ilúlvatar!!! It helps a lot! If I ever post this on another website I'll have to remember to change that… I'm really at loss for how those mistakes got passed the finial edit…(shrugs) Oh well. Sorry this is rather short...I have a bad back, and right now it's beginning to give me a lot of pain when I sit for too long : b Now the stupid website has deleted parts of your reviews (at least I can't seem to find them), and my stupid alerts didn't send me your reviews either…Well, at least I got to read them once : b Sorry I can't write a better answer, I'm afraid I can't remember the entire reviews – with my memory, and all that's been going on here lately, I sometimes think it's a wonder I can remember my own name ; ) (huggles) Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**silvertears630: **LOL, yeah, poor Glamdil... I'm glad you enjoyed the little humor break after all the angst there's been lately : ) I' love writing humor, so I'm really happy that you found it so funny! Hmm, one warning though, you do know that they could take away your lurker's license if you keep up all this reviewing - bad for the lurkers' reputations, you know. Keep on like this, and pretty soon they'll be expected to leave reviews too! And from then on, to quote _The Princess Bride_, "It's nothing but work, work, work!" LOL, Thank you so much for taking the time to review - even at the risk of you reputation as a professional lurker ; )

**Lizzie Blakeney: **Don't worry, I know how it is, you ask a question and then promptly realize that you already asked the question before…It's always so embarrassing! Anyways, I'm glad you're not bored of the story : ) Thank you for reviewing!

**Naesse: **Hehe, yes, it sure is fun to see the perfectly confident, in-control soldier finally finding a situation that makes him nervous, isn't it? LOL, unfortunately, I'm afraid even a concentrated elven stare isn't quite enough to make Dagron simply disappear, though he would probably wish he could! I'm sure it would be enough to give even him a nervous breakdown, though, which might be almost as amusing to watch as him just disappearing : ) Thank you for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**Drylith: **I'm so glad you enjoyed the little break from all the angst. Yeah, Elrond's sense of humor is wonderful, isn't it? Of course, it's probably the only thing that's kept him sane all these years too : ) More humor in this chapter too, though I rather suspect that everyone found that ending anything but funny... Hehe, oh well : ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Heh heh, hey, you didn't think all those non-cliffie chapters could last, did you? **

**Ok, I'll try to have the next chappy up Fri. or Sat. It's called "Freedom and Escape". **

**Please review!**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG and member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	22. Freedom and Escape

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

* * *

A/N: **Oh, thank you all SO much! I got so many wonderful reviews for the last chapter – I was just walking on air I was just so happy : ) Thank you!!! And I apologize for how long it took me to post this…The 'log in' wasn't working yesterday, so I couldn't do it then, and since I was gone all day I couldn't finish getting this chapter ready until now : b I'm sorry, you really did deserve it sooner than this : (**

* * *

Chapter 22: Freedom and Escape**

"…he's coming around…"

"Estel?"

"….open your eyes…"

"Please, mellon_-_nín?"

One voice merged into another as consciousness threatened to steal him away from the peaceful quietness. Aragorn couldn't really say how many voices there were or who they belonged to. All he knew was that there were voices. Everywhere. He centered on the last voice. Drawn to the mellow sound of his friend's voice even in his half-conscious state, he strained to get his eyes open. He struggled until they finally opened; or at least he hoped they were open.

Since he was blind everything was still black, of course, and his annoyingly sluggish brain wasn't talking to him yet. It simply refused to supply him with any useful information. He weighed his options. It would sound incredibly stupid, he realized, to ask them (whoever 'them' was) if his eyes were open or closed…No, that wouldn't work.

_Just wait until my brain decides to return to speaking terms? _

That appeared to be his only other option, so he waited.

"Umm, Estel? What are you doing?"

"I said: 'open your eyes', not: 'open your eyes until they pop out of your face'."

So they _were_ open. He could feel that much now and, Valar, were they beginning to hurt. He let them slide a fraction closed. Much better.

"Are you alright, Estel?"

Legolas. That was Legolas's voice. Now that his brain was cooperating, Aragorn was free to start thinking about other more important things besides whether or not his body was obeying his commands.

"Estel! Will you _please_ say something?"

Legolas's voice was becoming more urgent. Aragorn decided it was time to give his friend an assurance that, yes, life did exists somewhere in this uncooperative body of his. So it was down to the ultimate test: speaking.

"M-mellon-nín?"

It sounded a lot closer to croaking than actual speaking, but it got his message across. He heard at least three sighs of relief and then cool liquid was sliding down his throat. Now his senses were restored to full alert.

It was a welcome change that greeted his reviving senses. He could feel the softness of bed beneath him, instead of the hard ground or a taught stretcher. His hand clenched the smooth, clean sheets that completely enveloped him. Aragorn knew that Elrond, at times, worked miracles, still it seemed a little bizarre, even for him. How in the name of Arda did he get a bed out in the middle of the woods?

"How… Where…?"

"We're back in Rivendell, Estel." Elrohir answered his question.

So maybe his brain wasn't _completely_ reliable as of yet. He would have to work on that a little harder. Once he'd finished scolding his brain for assuming something so implausible, Aragorn remembered the three figures that were, undoubtedly, waiting for him to say more. The more he contemplated his next words them more it began to dawn on him. And in a burst he exclaimed:

"Rivendell!"

If he could have seen at that moment what he would have seen was three startled elves jump at his sudden outburst, and then stare at the "invalid" human lying "near death" in the bed. But, at that moment Aragorn didn't happen to have the pleasure of sight. So, oblivious to their astonishment, he continued:

"Eru, how long have I been unconscious?"

As he spoke Aragorn tried to sit up. Before anyone had the chance to rush forward and force him to lie down, he fell back onto the bed with a moan of pain. That was the second time that his near-fatal wound had "slipped his mind".

"Estel…" Elrond's voice held a gentle reprimand.

"Ada!" Aragorn smiled, "I didn't realize you were here."

"I heard noise and decided I'd better check on you. I see you're trying to escape already?"

"Not really, Ada." he grinned sheepishly, "I guess I just forgot that I was wounded, that's all."

"You gave us all a scare, ion_-_nin. When your heart slowed down so much we thought…"

"We—" Elrohir's voice cracked, "we all thought we were going to loose you!"

Aragorn was startled. He'd nearly died? Funny, he didn't _feel_ like he'd almost died. At the moment, and despite his throbbing wound, he was actually feeling quite good, especially in retrospect to how he _had_ felt.

"Promise me, you reckless human, that you will _never_ do that to us again!" Legolas demanded, his own worry just fading.

And just how was he, a warrior—and brother to Elladan and Elrohir—suppose to promise _never_ to get seriously wounded again?

_Why was it that whenever you come back from near-death experiences people are always pressing you to make unrealistic promises like that? _

If he remembered correctly, Legolas and the twins had alternately asked him this same impractical question dozens of times before. What did they expect him to do? Sit around his bedroom wearing full armor for the rest of his life? Maybe it would be better not to ask.

"I'll do my best, mellon_-_nín."

His indomitable smile finally won over their not yet reconciled terror for his life. Elrond checked over his wounds and, with relief, pronounced him on the mend. All around him, Aragorn could hear sighs echoing that relief and the sound of three elves dropping into their chairs.

"Elladan?" he inquired, wondering at his oldest brother's marked silence.

"I'm right here, tithen_-_muindor.(little brother)" Elladan answered beside him.

"Is something wrong, El? You've been awfully quiet, what's the matter?"

"Is something wrong?" Elladan's voice was incredulous, "What's the matter? What's the matter…?" he repeated dazedly, a dark undertone lining his words.

"Elladan." it was impossible to miss Aragorn's annoyance, "_What_ is wrong?" he drove the question sternly.

The comprehension was fairly emanating from the rest of the elves in waves of invincible silence. Aragon had the feeling he was the only one being left in the dark. Elladan was being extremely irrational and strange, and Aragorn wished he would just speak his mind.

"Elladan, come on," he made his voice gentle, "tell me."

"I…" Elladan scrambled for words, "This is all because of me." Elrond began to protest, "No, Ada, please…"

For the obvious amount of turbulent thoughts he was harboring, the next rush of words were said with astonishing calm—for Elladan.

"This whole business with Acharndil is my fault. He was trying to kill me, that's why you were poisoned. And then you were captured and hurt—because he wanted revenge on me!"

"He was after me too, El." Elrohir said softly.

"Yes, but in the end the blame lies with Acharndil only." Aragorn added just as softly.

"But that's not all, you know it Estel! That arrow that nearly took your life was meant for me!"

"Elladan, listen to me." Aragorn said firmly, "Do you actually think that I would hold you responsible? Do you think so little of me?"

"That has nothing to do with this—"

"It has _everything_ to with this, El. I love you, muindor_-_nín, and I know that you would have done the same thing if you had been in my place. You would have jumped in front of an arrow headed for me without a second thought, I know you would. Ilúlvatar gave me a chance to show just how much I love you, and I wouldn't have it any other way." a smile erupted across his face, "Besides, El, since when have you been able to control my actions?"

"Oh Estel," Elladan sighed, partially accepting the truth. "why do you always have to be so…"

"So right? Brilliant? Heroic? Dashing?" Aragorn found no lack of adjectives to describe himself.

"Try: annoying, exasperating, proud, irritating…" Elladan finally began to grin.

Everyone else was enjoying it too. For a while they'd all been afraid Elladan would never quit beating himself up.

They talked for the better part of an hour. Without comment, they passed over the events of the last weeks, choosing instead to blissfully ignore it all and talk about lighter, more commonplace matters. None of them wanted to think about the horrible things that had happened, or the problems that still remained.

Aragorn could feel Elrond's eyes upon him, searching for any signs of weariness. Soon, he guessed, Elrond would be forcing him to take some more rest. He was a little tired, but not enough that he would willingly trade company for sleep.

Every time he let his mind wander, evil pervaded his thoughts. He shuddered as he thought about being left in the darkness—and alone. He did not _see_ Dagron, of course, since he was blind. How strange it was: he'd never even seen his face. It was really rather ironic, he thought, to be haunted by a man he'd never even seen… But he could _hear_ his voice, and that was quite enough. All those dark days had burnt undeniable scars onto his memory. Even now, he wondered if all this wasn't too good to be true…

Aragorn felt a hand touch his own. Long fingers intertwined with his.

"Are you tired, mellon-nín?"

No. He wasn't dreaming this time.

"No, I'm not tired."

"Are you sure?" he could feel Legolas scanning him critically. "After all, you have been through quite a lot and—"

"Mellon-nín," he squeezed the elf's hand reassuringly. "I feel the best I have felt in weeks. I _promise_ you, I really am not tired yet." he smiled. "And believe me, I _know _when I'm tired. I have explored each level of exhaustion quite thoroughly."

"Forgive my, my friend," Legolas squeezed back. "I forgot that it takes quite a deal more than mere exhaustion and life-threatening wounds to keep you down." The teasing in his voice was not lost on his friend.

"Speaking of life-threatening wounds…" Elrond interrupted their reunion, "I had better have another look at that arrow wound."

He pulled back the loose-fitting shirt that Aragorn wore, examining the bandage for any sign of renewed bleeding.

"The bleeding has stopped," he felt Aragorn's forehead and nodded with satisfaction, "and your fever is gone." he chuckled at the look of hope that had sprung onto the human's face. "But no, ion-nín, that does _not_ mean that you will be able to leave your bed any time soon." ignoring the usual pleas for mercy coming from his youngest, Elrond addressed Legolas, "And now, Prince Legolas, I think that it is time _you _had some rest."

"And why me in particular?" Legolas looked startled.

"Don't looked so surprised, Legolas." Elrond regarded Legolas with amusement, "Do you really think that all the times you've faked sleep fooled me?"

"But I _was_ asleep! At least some of the time…"

"Yes, _some _of the time. But not much. I don't believe that you have had any_ real _sleep for days."

"What about Elladan and Elrohir? They couldn't have had much more sleep than me!"

"Ah, but there you are wrong," Elrond foiled Legolas' last attempt to bring the twins down with him, "just last night I ordered them to both to rest, and they slept for quite a few hours." Seeing more arguments already forming in Legolas' mind, he didn't pause, "When they awoke I took to my room for several hours as well." he didn't bother to tell Legolas that even though he'd "taken to his room", he hadn't actually slept. That particular bit of information was hardly likely to help his argument. "So you see, Prince Legolas, you _are_ the one who needs sleep the most. I suggest you take the opportunity that is before you and retire."

Anyone who knew anything about Elrond knew that when he "suggested" something, it was best to comply. And so Legolas decided that he would take the "opportunity", and retire. And he had to admit, he was a little worse for wear at the moment.

The twins, watching Legolas stumble slightly as he moved across the room, grinned at each other, and neither could suppress a rather undignified giggle.

"Oh, and Legolas," Elladan said with a wicked grin, "watch out for the rugs, they can be dangerous! We wouldn't want you to trip, you know."

Smiling stiffly and nodding to Elrond, Legolas all but stuck his tongue out at them as he exited through the door. He restrained himself, but the way his hands were clenched indicated that this fight was anything but over.

Elrond was mystified.

_Just _what_ in the name of Arda what that all about? _

He almost spoke his thoughts aloud. But, with an inward shrug, he decided against it—he probably didn't want to know. He watched Elladan and Elrohir, who were by now clutching their stomachs and laughing uncontrollably. Still, he had to wonder what it was they all found so hilarious. Sometimes his sons' sense of humor eluded even him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Moranuen glared icily at Dagron. He couldn't believe that after only two days of being back in Rivendell, he'd already allowed himself to be duped so easily into guard-duty. But Elrond had been so busy attending Estel, and he didn't have the heart to bother the elf lord with his trivial problems.

Yes, once again he found himself guarding the wearisome human, and relief seemed very long in coming. So, for the last hour he'd been trying to resign himself to being a victim of the man's annoying personality. It wasn't working very well. Although Dagron had, for the most part, ceased to vocalize his complaints, his irritable mood was still contagious. Highly contagious.

"I don't suppose you elves ever bother to feed your prisoners." Dagron said contemptuously.

"Oh, of_ course_, we do!" Moranuen said sarcastically, "We _can't_ have any starving prisoners, we have to fatten them up for thekill, after all!"

"Oh? And when do you cowards plan on doin' that?"

"Look, _human,_" he picked up a discarded gag, "I can always put this back on you."

Dagron gave him an evil look and then sulked. Moranuen sighed. It was in the nature and habit of elves to show mercy to prisoners, and he usually felt no compulsion to do otherwise, but sometimes… There were some prisoners, like Dagron, who didn't seem to _want _mercy, and at the moment he didn't feel much like showing him any. But, until Lord Elrond directed otherwise, he would have to be patient.

Dagron snarled a curse at the silent, dark-haired elf, and returned to his own thoughts.

As he'd passed thorough the halls of Rivendell on his way to the "dark hole" of a cellar they were keeping him in now, he'd carefully scrutinized his surroundings. He'd watched the elves, strolling leisurely about the gardens or wandering, seemingly without purpose, down the hallways. They certainly didn't _look_ fierce or warlike… This whole haven seemed far too peaceful to harbor the warriors he'd seen attacking their camp.

He'd watched many elves, garbed in soft, flowing material, gracefully glide down the path. Even now, his mouth curved in disdain. No weapons in sight. Most of the elves didn't even have daggers. The only thing they seemed to carry with them in any profusion was books―_books_! A handful of book-wielding elves certainly weren't going to stand between him and escape.

And there were windows everywhere―they all but _invited_ him to jump through them. Even from the second story there were plenty of bushes to land in, and then it was only a short sprint for the gate. He hoped that they left it open… Laughing inwardly, he smiled. And just why wouldn't they? They had already proven themselves inept and naïve when it came to guarding prisoners—they didn't even have a dungeon! His arms were unbound, due to his severed hand. He'd have to wait until his guard was distracted…

And then he would be free.**

* * *

To Be Continued…**

**Reviewer responses:**

**viggomaniac: **Hi! It's so wonderful to hear from you again : ) Well, I have plenty of stories up my sleeve…but it one thing to have the ideas, it's quite another to get them onto paper in a coherent form, LOL. Thank you so much for the compliment! I'm still plugging alone through a attack of writers' block at the moment, but I hope to have at least a few vignettes out soon, and I'm working on several longer stories.

**annika: **Oh, I'm so glad I could make your WEEK with one chapter : ) Well, you returned the favor with you wonderful, encouraging review! Really, it just made MY week to know that you're still reading and enjoying : )

**Tinorial Peredhil: **Hmm, I wonder what happened there at the beginning… I certainly didn't type that in twice… Must have been the stupid computer once again : b I'm so glad you're liking Dolenil : D LOL, I dare say Doriflen _could _distract Estel…Perhaps a little too much? Oh yeah, and Kaldur, although distracting, might prove a little…Stressful? (g) Yup, it's so much fun to play around with Elladan and Elrohir dialog, and see how funny you can make it : ) You HATE me? (pretends to look hurt) How could you say those things about me (sniff) I thought you were my friend! (sniff) OK, OK, so maybe I deserved it ; ) I have to admit, I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for that poor guard of yours… (guard glares at me) YOU! You BETRAYED me! You are the one who GAVE me to HER!!! (looks sheepish) Ah, sorry there, guard… Now Tinorial, be easy on the poor guy, it's his first job after all : ) Anyways…I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**crazyAZNkid: **LOL, so I'm not the only one who restrains myself from reading my favorite stories, simply to avoid cliffies? I can't wait for Cassia to finish posting the rest of BDaD… Then I'll finally get to read it! Anyways…I, too, am a huge fan of C&S stories (couldn't tell, could you?), so I'm very flattered that you'd like my story _because _you like their stories : D Anyways…I'm sorry you didn't think Elladan was quite in character… (sighs) Somehow I always get at least one thing wrong : b I'll try to keep that in mind about Elladan for future stories. Thanks for telling me your thoughts – it really helps!

**elitenschwein: **I'm so glad that you like the part with Glamdil trying to speak to Elrond : ) Hehehe, so your progressing with "the look" than, are you? I think you, along with Elrond, will truly put some fear into Dagron (g) Well, if you didn't like to hear other people ramble, I'm sure I would have lost you back there somewhere in the first reviewer response : ) Yup, you asked for the cliffie, I was only trying to make you happy ; ) I always count it a success when I get my readers laughing. But you were actually _falling out of your _chair?! Wow, I'm thrilled to hear that you thought it was funny : ) Well, I think this story is beginning (beginning mind you) to wind down with the angst…But there's still lots of humor left in the upcoming chapters. (eyes Nazgûl horse uneasily) Hmm, I'd better finish up with the other responses so that I can update…LOL. Sorry I couldn't update on Friday… Thanks for reviewing!

**Joslin:** Hehe, yes I know I was evil to leave you there… But you were just about right on with your guess : ) LOL, hope this was soon enough for you ; ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**silege: **LOL, no, I'm not THAT cruel – I wouldn't actually leave you on a cliffy for a long time ; ) What kind of an author do you take me for? LOL, OK, OK, don't answers that question… Thanks!

**jacquelinestel: **Aww…you had a computer die on you? (cringes) Did you _really _loose all your stories? Ouch, that's got to hurt…I'm paranoid about loosing all my writings, so I'm constantly backing them up on CDs in case my computer ever crashes (or in case characters get out of hand ; ). LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

**Hyperactive Forever: **Well, I saw _The Birds _only recently…and I'm still just getting over it : ) Yes, when you said "I don't work well with scary movies" I definitely felt like you were a kindred spirit, LOL. I'm HORRIBLE when it comes to scary movies! (shudders) Aww, I'm _sure_ there's even more than the lonely tumbleweed in that head of yours ; ) Oh yes…Poor Glamdil… (smiles fondly at nervous "councilor") He really is a sweet-heart, but you can't help but laugh at him : ) Thanks so much for reviewing!

**EverKitsune**Dead? You really thought I might _kill _our beloved ranger?! LOL, I'm not _that _evil, LOL. Hmm, with the "fat snake" escape? After this chapter I'm sure that's the question of the day ; ) But, you'll just have to wait and see what happens, of course! (authors code, you know…) BTW, your story is great – I can't wait for the next chapter : ) Thank you so much for reviewing!

**silivren: **Well…I don't know exactly how to answer your question (it would end up being a very loooong answer if I tried!) But I do believe that Legolas actually is Silvan _and _Sindar. You can find more information on the Council of Elrond ( councilofelrond . com – just take out the spaces). Look up Silvan elves in the encyclopedia. Anyways… I'm so glad you're enjoying my story : ) "Breathtaking" and "Mind-blowing" are certainly flattering terms for any author to hear their story described as! Thank you so much for reviewing!!!

**HarryEstel**LOL, I thought you'd figured it out by now – I'm _evil_! Remember? Hehehe, I know, it really was cruel of me to lead you into this false sense of security, and then spring another cliffie like that : b Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself… Thanks for reviewing!

**Anorwen06: **Oh, I know all about R/L craziness – it's been attacking me viciously lately : b Just to know you're still reading is encouraging : ) LOL, and your not skipping classes either! Hmm, well, it might have been a good place to bring Acharndil back into the scene… But as you can see, he's still lurking somewhere out there… (eg) I have to admit, when you said "I do have a complaint", my heart kind of jumped into my throat. I've been having all kinds of minor problems (my computer messes something up, I missed a spelling mistake, I didn't _quite _do a character right…etc.), and I'm think "Oh no, what have I done _this _time…" And then you went and made my day by saying that my story made you laugh hard enough to turn heads – (sigh) That was such a relief : ) I was having a rough day, but your review really helped… Thanks!

**elvingirl3737**Hmm, other than being shot exhausted, and generally "womped on" I really haven't a clue what could have possibly been wrong with Estel… LOL. (eyes get big) A cliffie prize?! For me?! Oh thank you… (elvingirl holds out rabid vampire gerbil who promptly attaches itself to Nefhiriel's neck) Um…thank you…I think… I'll put my prize in a nice durra-steel gerbil cage… (grabs gerbil) Once I disengage him from my neck, that is… (gerbil bites Nefhiriel) Ouch! (finally manages to get gerbil into cage with Imbecamiel's help) Whew! And I thought _writing_ this story was going to be the hardest part…I never counted on the prizes being so…vicious. LOL. Wow, I really am rambling pointlessly, sorry… (grins sheepishly) Thanks for the prize : )

**Dagnir Erynion: **LOL, yes, I know I was positively evil to leave you there ; ) Thank you so much for the review – I hope you enjoyed the chapter : )

**Erulasse: **First of all – Welcome! LOL, and don't worry if it takes you a little while to figure things out. Not even everyone whose been on here for a while has everything about this website figured out. Just when you think you know what you're doing, they go and change things again… (g) I'm so glad you enjoyed the part with Legolas tripping over the tree root. (Legolas glares)…er…I mean _rock_… LOL. Oh, I know what it is to have a bad memory! Grr…It can be so frustrating : b Cassia and Siobhan write such excellent stories! LOL, feel free to act weird around me : ) Ooo, I'm very flattered that you added me to your author alerts! (if you put an someone on "author alerts" you get an e-mail alert every time that author updates a story.) (g) I can't tell you how encouraging your review was – I'm so glad you found me an inspiration : ) Thank you SO much for reviewing!

**A special thanks to **_Dagnir Erynion_**for adding me to your author alerts! And to **_EverKitsune_**and **_Erulasse_**for adding me to their author alerts and favorites list!**

**(duck flying objects) Oops, it would appear that I've finally pushed my loyal readers too far this time… (rotten tomato hits her in the side of the head) (Imbecamiel laughs) Yup, Nefhiriel, you've _really _done it this time! How on earth did you expect them to react when you hint that that… creep might _escape_! (Nefhiriel shrugs and turns to reviewers) Sorry…You'll just have to wait and see what happens with Dagron in the en—(an egg splatters in her eye) OK…I think I had better leave now…**

**Next chapter should be up Tuesday or Wednesday (this website permitting…), and it will be called "In a Heart-beat". **

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F **


	23. In a Heartbeat

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

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A/N: **Well, somehow I miscounted my chapters, and only just realized that I have _23 _chapters instead of _24_. Sorry about the mix-up : b This is the last chapter, but there is an epilogue left. 

I also apologize for the lateness of this post. I DO have an excuse! My father had surgery this week(it ended up being more complicated than we first though it would be), and the same day he had surgery we started redoing some of the floors in our house, and then yesterday we were gone all day. Do I need to whine further, or do you get the point? LOL. Anyways, I'm sorry it took longer than I thought it would.

See first chapter for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at the end.**

* * *

Chapter 23: In a Heart-beat**

Aragorn sighed and burrowed further under the covers. After much debate and argument, he had finally convinced Elrond and the twins that they could safely leave him for several hours.

He was sore from his wound, tired and still blind, but he could honestly say that he was content. It had been three days since his return to Rivendell, and in that time he'd come to grips with his new condition. He realized that, somehow, during all the excitement of the last weeks he'd risen unconsciously to a new level of peace in the matter. Yes, somehow Ilúlvatar had worked out even those horrible days for the ultimate good.

If only his family and Legolas could see that.

Strange as it was, they seemed to regret his condition even more then he did. Even Elrond acted as if he refused to believe that he could be blind for life. For their sakes, if not for his own, he would continue to let their hope go unmarred by his own resignation. And he _was_ resigned to it, _peacefully_ resigned.

There was the nagging longing the back of his mind, the desire to draw his sword once more and fight… He would miss his sight, but already he was learning to hone his hearing in such a way as to be useful, at least. Every time his spirits lagged back into melancholy or morose ways of thinking he would remind himself of that: he _was_ learning to be useful. He could still jump in front of arrows, couldn't he? He smiled faintly in the dark. And he could still love and be loved by his family and his friends. The important things still remained unchanged.

He let his eyes drift shut, with these last happy thoughts soothing him into a satisfying sleep.

After what must have been hours, he woke up. Slowly opening his eyes, he prepared himself for the usual morbid, ubiquitous blackness that he knew awaited him.

Only blackness didn't await him.

Grey light.

He blinked twice in disbelief, but every time he opened his eyes it was to the same grey light. His vision sharpened into an even lighter grey, then transformed into a dull brightness.

For the first time in over half a month, Aragorn was able to _look_ around the room.

He lay there for some minutes, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Each moment his thoughts, as well as his vision, became clearer. Then the full force of it hit him, and he suddenly pulled back the covers and sat up.

It was a bad move.

Groaning and clutching his side, he was forced to lay back down until the wound decided to cooperate once more. Then he sat up again, slowly easing himself upward. And it worked this time―until he reached a full upright position. His newly-restored vision wavered, as did his decision to attempt rising. But, as usual, he ignored the suggestions that common sense advised and continued in his daring defiance of gravity. He noted, with gratitude, that he had his sleeping trousers and a long, loose shirt on. At the moment, even thinking about attempting to get dressed made him feel weary.

Victorious, and ludicrously weak, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and made it to his feet.

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Moranuen watched Dagron. He had a nagging suspicious that the human was up to something. For over an hour, now, the human had sat still, back turned to him, saying absolutely nothing. His silence, in particular, was disconcerting.

"Moranuen?"

He spun around to face Glamdil.

"Moranuen," Glamdil said again, "Lord Elrond requests that the prisoner be brought to him. I'm here to help you escort him―are you ready?"

"Am I ready?!" Moranuen said, not disguising the foul mood he was in.

Glamdil looked from Dagron to Moranuen.

"Just _how _did you get stuck with him for a second time?"

"It's a long story… In short: Wrong place. Wrong time. Slow reflexes."

"And incredible back luck, mellon-nín." Glamdil said, half pity, half amusement shining in his golden-brown eyes.

"Something like that, yes."

"But come." Glamdil looked pointedly at Dagron and put a hand on Moranuen's shoulder , "Let us not keep Lord Elrond waiting."

Eagerly getting to his feet and unceremoniously motioning Dagron to rise, Moranuen walked closely at Dagron's side and kept a watchful eye on him. Glamdil came up along Dagron's other side, and they left the room. Shuffling moodily between them, Dagron seemed just as dark and sullen as ever. But if one of the elves had bothered to look closely into his eyes, they would have seen a sinister gleam.

Dagron was indeed up to something.

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Still keeping his arm protectively over his wounded side, Aragorn refused to give up. Moving across the room at a painstakingly slow pace, he finally reached the doorway. Here he paused to lean heavily on the doorway and catch his breath. Eru! When had gotten so weak?

_Perhaps it happened sometime between when you were being refused sleep for two weeks, and the time you got shot?_

The ironic voice in his head couldn't refuse the chance to have an input in the conversation. Ignoring the voice and the urge to roll his eyes, he poked his head out into the hall, still not relinquishing his leaning position against the door. He groaned. Why was it that suddenly the hallway looked longer than ever before?

_It's not like someone is _forcing _you to leave your room._

This time he really did roll his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the hall. Or rather _crawled_ out. Supporting himself against the wall, he pulled himself up and began to move forward, grateful that, for whatever reason, the halls were completely empty.

He had already gone several steps forward, when the voice decided it was time, once more, to dispute his reasons for such idiotic procedures.

_And just _where _are you going?_

Searching for a reason suitable to explain his irrational reasons for wandering the halls, he heard the sound of voices coming from, he guessed, Elrond's study. He could hear the clear voice of either Elladan or Elrohir raised in anger, and then the mellow voice of Elrond, interrupting sternly.

Aragorn directed his steps toward the study, now able to pick up his pace as curiosity, and concern, pressed him on.

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"Please, tell us exactly why you joined yourself with Acharndil? We cannot pass judgment unless we have all the facts." Elrond calmly continued to question Dagron, despite the many malicious interruptions the prisoner had already made.

"Judgment? What, you mean you elves actually care about what we did to the ranger? I thought you elves didn't care about what 'append to humans. And why anyone would care about such a weak, pitiful—" Dagron was cut off abruptly.

"You've already told us your worthless option of my _brother_!" Elladan was only restrained from throttling the human by Elrohir's hand upon his shoulder. "Estel is neither weak, pitiful, or any of the things you say. _You _would never have survived _half _the cruelties that you inflicted upon him!" his lowered voice held deadly hatred, "You would do well not to talk about your betters in such a way."

"Ion-nín…" Elrond warned his son.

"No Ada, I can't—I _won't_—stand by while this animal talks about Estel like that!" Elladan exclaimed passionately, "If he has a death wish, then by the Valar I'll give him what he deserves. I swore that he'd pay."

"Elladan." this time Elrond said his name in a tone that was not to be ignored, "Elladan, contain yourself. We must learn all we can before we turn Dagron the other men over to the men of Strayton." than he turned to Dagron, "As you can see, it will go much better with you if you cooperate with me. I can only be merciful if you are repentant of your crimes."

"Repent?!" Dagron practically spat in the elf lord's face, "Repent of my 'crimes'? I will do no such thing. And I will not be subjected to your 'judgment' or your 'mercy', _elf_."

Then two things happened, and in such rapid succession, that none of the elves had time to realize what had occurred, much less immediately react.

Dagron ripped his arm from the hold of Moranuen and ran for the door. At precisely the same moment as he was trying to exit, Aragorn appeared in the doorway. Dagron swung his fist at the ranger, expecting to have his 'blind' and weakened opponent at a disadvantage. With reflexes born of many years among the elves, Aragorn saw the fist coming, ducked, and at the same time slammed his own fist into the pit of Dagron's stomach. Dagron reeled backwards and crumpled the ground, moaning in pain as both Glamdil and Moranuen grabbed his arms.

In the doorway, Aragorn looked up to see four open-mouthed elves, gaping at him. His silver eyes met each of theirs.

"You can see!" Elrohir cried, eyes still wide with amazement.

"Oh, so you noticed, then?" Aragorn's mouth curved into a grin.

"But how? When?" too excited to give his brother a chance to speak, Elladan didn't pause, "Oh, Estel! I was so afraid that you would never see again!"

Legolas' blue eyes shone with happiness as Aragorn stepped forward into the room.

"Glamdil, Moranuen," Elrond spoke rapidly to the two elves, "would you take care of Dagron?"

Nodding their understanding, the two elves left the room, towing the still-groaning human between them.

Aragorn, standing in the middle of the room, was now beginning to feel the after-effects of his long journey down the hall, and his 'run-in' with Dagron. He was also realizing for the first time, just how little warmth his thin undershirt gave against the cold autumn air. As the magic of adrenaline quit working, he found himself trembling slightly.

The twins, Legolas and Elrond quit smiling. Legolas and Elladan were immediately at his side, offering him support which he tried, of course, to refuse. He might have succeeded, if only his legs hadn't chosen that moment to collapse out from under him. After catching him, Legolas and Elladan, with Elrohir joining them, began to alternately scold and voice their concern.

"Estel, what in the name of Eru do you think you're doing?!" Elladan gently pulled Aragorn's right arm over his shoulder.

"You're shaking, muindor!" Elrohir draped a cloak over his brother's shoulders.

"Reckless human!" Legolas said from Aragorn's left as he tenderly supported his friend from the other side. "Are you trying to kill yourself?! You're not _half _healed and yet you insist on getting out of bed already!"

"Enough, you three." Elrond came to the young human's defense, motioning the three of them down the hall to Aragorn's room, "You can make sure he pays for his crime _after _he's recovered from whatever damage his latest recklessness may have caused."

Forcing the ranger to let them support most of his weight, Legolas and Elladan almost carried him down the hall, with Elrohir hovering close behind them. They lowered him to the bed and stood close by as Elrond reexamined his wound.

"Well, ion-nín, you have inexplicably escaped without breaking any more stitches."

Elrond pulled the covers over the still lightly shaking human and then reached forward to rest his hand on the side of his face. Aragorn could see tears of joy glistened in his profound and ancient eyes.

"Estel?" Elladan's indignant voice came slicing abruptly into the touching scene. "You haven't been listening to a word any of have been saying, have you?!"

"Hmm?" as eyes began to fall shut, Aragorn muttered a non-committal grunt of acknowledgment.

"Promise us, reckless human, that you will _never _do something like that again?" Legolas demanded.

"Yes, Estel, you could at lest promise you'll say in bed for a week or so!" Elrohir added his own comments from the foot of the bed.

Aragorn's only reply was a smile.

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**The End….Well not quite - hang on for a final epilogue : )**

**Reviewer responses:**

**elvingirl3737: **Keep the gerbil's cage out of the sun…(hears sizzling sound and whips around to see gerbil cooking out on the porch) Oops, you meant for me to KEEP the little guy… (grins sheepishly) Hmm, well, my Dad's a doctor, let's see what he can do for him (I've been meaning to get revenge on him for various…incidents…eg),LOL. Thank you, I'm so glad you liked the part where he woke up…I spent a lot of time writing it : b Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**Erulasse: **LOL, as you can see, Estel would NEVER let that creep escape : ) Hehehe, glad you liked the part with Legolas : ) Hmm, that _is_ interesting (that Britain's first policewoman was recruited in 1914). I can't decide whether I'd thought it would have been earlier than that, or more recently : ) Anyways, I've just got to take this opportunity to say it again – I'm really enjoying reading your story! Thank you SO much for the review : D

**sielge: **Well, Estel can actually SEE now! (g) Thanks for reviewing!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **Grr…Yes, this website was being VERY frustrating : b I uploaded the last chapter in-between one of the times it was down – and then I couldn't get any reviews for awhile because it was down again! (sob) LOL, while I was writing that scene with Estel waking up, I realized that in a semi-conscious state it might be kind of hard to figure out whether or not your eyes were open if you were blind : ) Hehehe…What kind of writing privileges do I think I have? Why, a fanfiction writer's privileges, mellon-nín, LOL, which means I can do whatever I want to characters. (eg) Oh yeah, I think Elladan and Elrohir would feel much better if Estel would just stay indoors and play it safe… (snort) Like THAT'S ever going to happen. You're a GENIOUS, mellon-nín! You just gave me the most wonderful idea for my upcoming story when you mention how amusing the twins might be if they were _really _tired… (Elladan and Elrohir glare at Tinorial) "Why oh why did you have to give HER that idea?" LOL. Aww…Poor Guard, being drug along on a "field-trip" to Mordor… (g)You're right, though, he _does_ seem to be incredibly clueless… not to mention paranoid. I mean, REALLY, this is _Mordor_, what could there POSSIBLY be to be afraid of????? Well GTG…Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**HarryEstel: **Hehehe, I suppose we are all evil on some level… (eg) Nope, bad-guys just never know when to quit, LOL. (sticks tongue out at website) Grr…I sure hope it stays up for a while now… : b Thank you so much!

**Hyperactive Forever: **LOL, I think your Kamikaze Death Birds of Doom are keeping Acharndil from coming back to reap his revenge…or maybe it's the Rabid Hair-Eating Beavers (g) Yup, you just keep standing out there in front of Rivendell with your…creatures, and keep Acharndil at bay ; ) Hehehe, it sounds like you're a Elladan-angst fan (or is that just the sadistic part of you?). Well, I can't promise you any now, but maybe in one of my upcoming stories (I'm actually working on one that stars the twins and Elrond, so maybe then). Anyways…Thanks for the review!

**Mornflower: **(huggles) I missed you, madness mayhem and all!!! LOL, well, it would seem you were gone far too long - the characters are pretty scary when they get bored… Once again you have managed to get this ridiculous picture of Aragorn, Legolas and the twins doing each others hair stuck in my head. How on earth do you expect an author to write angst with THAT kind of image of the characters? LOL. I think I'll right a few humor vignettes next… Hannon le, mellon-nín!

**crazyAZNkid: **Well, I hope this chapter answered your question about dénouement, and where my story was going—I was trying to build the climax up to the point where Estel got his sight back. As to why my story isn't on the MC site… Well, to be quite honest, I wasn't sure if it was good enough. This is my first "real" attempt at a LotR story. These last few months of posting have been full of first-time experiences (I've never written a battle scene, any serious angst—I haven't even done a multiple chapter story before this!) So, in short, I really just haven't worked up the courage to submit it… Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter : ) Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't get it up sooner… um, just put that dagger away now, there's a good reviewer. Keep in mind that dead and/or severely wounded authors don't tend to write a whole lot…

**Naesse: **This website has been being very frustrating, hasn't it? Grr…well, I'm glad everything's up and working…for now at least! (g) Glad you liked the chapter! Thank you SO much for reviewing!

**jacquelinestel: **ROTFL! From the moment you handed Legolas a pair of felt boots… Hehehe, I just knew what you were going to have him dress up as (snort) That reminds me of the time Imbecamiel and I when dressed up as elves ("real" elves) to see TTT on opening night. There was another person dressed up as a "North Pole elf"(he was there to advertise for another upcoming movie). Of course, Imbecamiel and I HAD to give him a hard time, telling him "_We_ are of the free peoples of Middle Earth, _not _Santa's slaves." Hehe, we had a very… interesting conversation about whether or not "north pole elves" were indeed _slaves_ : ) LOL, thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nin!

**EverKitsune: **LOL, yes, I definitely agree, Rivendell (and Middle Earth in general) just wouldn't be the same without Mora. I certainly consider him a permanent part of LOTR. Hehehe, actually, I do know exactly how much a review can mean – it's not like I'm some amazing author who's above craving feedback ; ) If you're having a lot of trouble with getting your story edited, you might want to search around for a beta to help. (sighs and pats EK on shoulder) I know exactly what you mean about having trouble getting the chapters ready in time…I'm not even writing my chapters as I post (I write the entire story first), and I'm still having a hard time doing a final edit and writing responses in time to post! Well, I'm looking forward to reading your next chapter : D But I must warn you, my e-mail isn't cooperating with me right now, and it doesn't always send me alerts : b So if I don't seem to be reviewing, feel free to drop me an e-mail (you can find my adress in my bio), telling me that you've posted your next chapter. Thank you, mellon-nín, for the review!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **(g) I'm so glad you're liking it! Thank you!

**Troubles8806: **Oh yes, _of course _I've missed your reviews! Really I have! But I just can't go around sending reviewers e-mails begging them to review, some people might think I was being…pushy, LOL. But I'm really glad to hear from you again : D Grr…I know how annoying computers can be. I'm blessed to have a brand-new Dell with DSL – so I don't have too many problems ; ) LOL, I am SO glad you liked the part with Glamdil talking to Elrond! I had a lot of fun writing that part, and I was really hoping people would enjoy reading it. (snort) I think everyone was a bit surprised when Legolas tripped! Hehehe, those were great guesses – they both (sort of) happened in _this_ chapter : ) My Thanksgiving was very relaxing. Usually we have all our relatives over to our house, but they've been having some family problems, so it was just our family this time. But, like I said, it was very relaxing! Thanks for asking : ) How was your Thanksgiving, and what are your plans for Christmas? Yikes – look at me ramble : b Sorry for the length, but I have one more question… You suggest in your bio that you might write something soon? I know I'm being rather nosy…but I was just wondering: do you have anything planned? Thanks for the review!

**elitenschwein: **Hehehe, glad you liked it : ) Yeah, those stupid villains never know when to give up, do they? But, as you already read, Aragorn would never let that creep escape, LOL. I'm glad you think I do the humor well! Thank you so much, mellon-nín!

**Celebdil-Galad and Tinlaure: **Hi! (blushes) I'm so glad to have both of your opinions on my story – and relieved to hear that you like it : D Of course I wouldn't let Dagron hurt anyone, LOL, or rather Estel wouldn't. Hehehe, that's the wonderful thing about having other authors review your stories – they're so understanding! (we all know that intolerable craving for feedback ; ) Anyways, when I got your review I was really tired and stressed out…It was so nice to come home from a long day and find your encouraging review waiting. (huggles) Thank you SO much for reviewing!

**annika: **Once more you just made my week with your encouraging review! I'm SO glad you're liking it : D Thank you for reviewing!

**A special thanks to **_gildedsunshine_** and **_Celebdil-Galad and Tinlaure_** for adding me to their author alerts!**

**OK, well, one more post left! The epilogue might not be up until Wednesday or later. It will be called… "Epilogue" - got any guesses as to what it might be about? LOL.**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F**


	24. Epilogue

**The Wrong One**

By Nefhiriel

**

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A/N (PLEASE READ!): **REALLY sorry I couldn't get this out any faster! RL has been horrendous lately : P OK, there is going to be a loooong authors' note at the end of the epilogue – but if you have any interest at all in possible future stories, please read it!**

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Epilogue**

Aragorn eased back, his tall frame stretching the full length of the couch he was reclining on. Now able to watch as well as listen to his brothers, he basked in the familiar feel of home. Even things that would have normally been mundane now provided even more warmth for his already overflowing heart. Today Rivendell struck him with it's beauty, today he felt the joy of having Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir all close by—today he felt the wonder of simply being alive.

As if reflecting and reveling in the theme of joy that pervaded the room, nature collaborated into a beautiful gleam of bright happiness. Birds sang cheerfully and the sun radiantly agreed, shining in harmony. The gloom of late Fall was disregarded, laws of the season ignored for the day.

Officially, Aragorn was still in convalescence, but that all too was easy to forget.

Although it had been over a week since his dramatic return to Rivendell, thoughts of how close he'd come to death continued to humble Aragorn. And there was his blindness as well. After all the darkness he'd endured he'd never again take the sights and sounds of everyday life for granted. Not for the first time, or the last, he silently thanked Illúvatar.

Legolas sighed contentedly from his perch atop the arm of a nearby chair. Peace was restored… He listened to the twins, talking animatedly. Admittedly, peace was always relative around the twins. But thus far there had been no surprise buckets of water above any doorways, and neither had anyone turned up with green hair. Yes, peace _was_ restored. Idly, he wondered just how long it would last…With Aragorn rushing though recovery at his normal perilous rate, he doubted the inhabitants of Rivendell would have to wait long before Elrond's sons recommenced their private war. A private war, he noted, that swept away anyone ill-fated enough to stumble into its path.

"Oh Legolas—you should have seen your face!" Elladan said, bringing the prince into the conversation. "Estel," he alerted Aragorn as well. "of all the sights you missed, the mortified look on Legolas' face is the most regrettable thing."

Aragorn examined his friend, who was looking so mortified it was hard to imagine him more so.

"I have to admit," Aragorn's mouth quirked before he continued, "that I really have a hard time picturing Legolas tripping…"

"Ah, support at last!" Legolas smiled triumphantly

"I have hard time picturing it mellon_-_nín, but…" Aragorn mouth quirked more obviously, "The pictures I do have are most amusing."

"Thank you '_mellon-nín_'."

Legolas rolled his eyes and sulked as Elladan picked up where he'd left off.

"It was really too funny! I wish you could have seen him, Estel!"

By this point, Legolas was definitely feeling the need to strangle someone—preferably Elladan.

"Oh yes!" Elrohir piped up brightly, "His face reminded me so much of how your face looked, El, after that pillow got glued to the side of you head! Remember? You had to rip it off and then—" he wasn't left time to finish his sentence.

The war had begun.

With ease born of practice, Elladan hurtled a pillow directly into Elrohir's face. The younger twin gave a muffled grunt of protest before gathering ammunition and barricading himself behind the couch.

Legolas, taking advantage of Elladan's distraction, decided to turn it into a three-way civil war. He took stock of the six pillows that adorned his own chair, picked one up and, in a prize-winning shot, it connected with Elladan's head.

Poor Elladan was now helplessly and hopelessly outnumbered. Turning his wrath on Legolas, he selected the largest pillow he could find, lifted his arm and threw it. But, now he left himself vulnerable to Elrohir's missiles. A pillow landed squarely on his back, bursting open and sending feathers everywhere. Legolas threw another pillow that he was, this time, able to duck. The pillow sailed harmlessly over his head and crashed straight into a table.

Behind the couch, Elrohir realized ,with irritation, that he'd run out of ammunition. The only thing left for him to do was make a suicidal dash into 'enemy lines'. He scrambled around Elladan's chair and grabbed as many undamaged pillows as he could find. Elladan was still preoccupied with fending off Legolas and didn't notice.

The prince threw yet another two pillows in rapid succession. He sent a third on it's way just as Elrohir's head popped up behind Elladan's chair. The pillow, of course, swerved right—and directly into Elrohir's face. Sputtering and aiming his own pillow, now at Legolas, Elrohir joined forces with Elladan, both of them already forgetting the reason the fight had been started in the first place. Simultaneously, the twins raised their pillows, looked at each other, grinned maliciously at Legolas, and threw.

As fate would have it, Legolas ducked.

Dolenil, quite innocent of the mayhem within, entered with completely peaceful intentions, and was warmly greeted by the pillow which had just sailed over his lord's head. Fast reflexes permitted him to catch the second one. Behind the curtain of settling feathers, his face was picture of astonished surprise rapidly deteriorating into indignation. Lips set in a grim line, he narrowed his eyes at the twins. Elladan and Elrohir comically pointed to each other in tandem. But Dolenil wasn't falling for their charm.

There was a long stretch of silence as they waited to see what Dolenil's reaction would be. The look of bewilderment faded, and then he did the very last thing any of them were expecting. Without any warning, Dolenil threw the pillow back at the twins. It hit a stunned Elladan who looked at a slack-jawed Elrohir. And then a grin gradually began to spread over their faces, as they realized the epic proportions of what they'd just witnessed.

As for Dolenil, he was actually looking rather sheepish, the realization of what he'd just done having the opposite effect upon him. Eru! If he wasn't careful, pretty soon he'd be slapping the prince across the back and calling him 'Legolas'. In some ways, he had to admit, it felt good to be 'one of them'. But that did _not_ excuse such irrational and disrespectful actions. Had he lost all self control and proper regard for those in authority? Had he actually just thrown a pillow at one of Lord Elrond's sons? Yes, the way he'd just deported himself was disgraceful and childish. It did not matter if the future King of Gondor, the Lord Elladan, the Lord Elrohir, and the Prince of Mirkwood all decided to have pillow-fights, _he_ should have known better.

He stood there, embarrassed, and not having the faintest clue how he was supposed to comport himself after having done something so uncalled for.

"I think it would be best if we all left now…" Aragorn came to his rescue, breaking the ice and allowing them all to breathe once more.

"Why, whatever for?" Elladan asked.

Aragorn scanned the room, the overturned vase of flowers, the knocked-over chairs, the tipped ink-bottle... He ended lastly on the three bedraggled elves, eyeing with amusement the feathers that clung to their hair.

"We don't have to leave if none of you want to. I was just thinking…." he smiled and ended nonchalantly, "Celboril?"

The name worked like magic, Dolenil being the only one who didn't understand just how much there was to be afraid of.

"Here, Estel, lean on me." Legolas offered.

"Let me help too!" Elrohir jumped up.

"Just a minute, I'll scout out the hallway." Elladan went to door. "All is clear, nobody in sight. Come on!" he motioned to them.

Thoroughly confused, Dolenil followed them anyways. As they slunk quietly down the hallway he couldn't help his curiosity.

"May I ask why we are sneaking around like thieves?" he asked, not attempting to be quiet.

Elladan and Elrohir turned on him with a hiss.

"Shhh."

"But my Lords, we are in your own home—"

"Shhh!"

Elladan raised his finger to his lips and led them into another room. Legolas lowered Aragorn onto another couch and the group visibly relaxed.

"I can't believe it!" Elladan said, "We actually got away!"

Everyone but Dolenil cheered.

"My Lord." he addressed Elladan, "Just what was it that we were seeking to elude?"

Elladan, at the door, stiffened and didn't answer. Striding back into the room, he glanced around, smiling when his gaze fell on Aragorn.

"Dolenil…" he said slowly, "I have something to ask of you."

"What is it, my Lord?"

"Well," he turned his back on Dolenil and winked at Elrohir, who smiled questioningly, but nodded almost imperceptibly. "would you be so kind as to go back and get Estel a blanket?" Estel sat up a little. Elladan went on, "You know, one of those nice warm ones?"

"Elladan," Estel finally protested, "it's already plenty warm in here, and I don't need—"

Elrohir clamped his hand over Aragorn's mouth.

"He really _does_ need one, Dolenil." Elladan spoke over the muffled grunts Aragorn was making. "He never does take proper care of himself, and he's always catching colds and all manner of illnesses. Humans: so susceptible! What can I say?"

"Oh, and you could grab him an extra pillow too." Elrohir added, hand still firmly in place over his younger brother's mouth.

Dolenil looked dubiously from the sun, streaming in through the window, to the four pillows already supporting the human. But he shrugged and only nodded as he left. Perhaps they wished to be a alone? The huge smiles the two young Peredhils had worn, admittedly, hinted of something more sinister. He hoped he was just imagining things. They _were_, after all, the sons of Lord Elrond, weren't they? Surely _they_ wouldn't be planning anything… He shook his head. Yes, it had most certainly been nothing more than his imagination.

The instant Dolenil left, Elrohir removed his hand and Elladan resumed his post at the door.

"Just _what_ are you two up to now?" Aragorn asked, still catching his breath, "And why do your plans include suffocating your brother?"

"And what are you doing with poor Dolenil?" Legolas put forth his own question.

"Shh!" Elladan waved them both off. "I can't see Celboril anymore. I hope he hasn't gone into a different room…"

"Elladan!" Legolas said reproachfully, "You didn't! Don't tell me you just sent Dolenil back into the parlor _knowing_ Celboril was coming; you wouldn't be so cruel! This is _not _funny!"

"My dear Prince," Elladan turned to Legolas. "if you don't think that this is funny, then wipe that grin off your face and go help Dolenil. If you hurried I'm sure you could catch up with him…" he looked back down the hallway and resumed his report, not receiving, or expecting, an answer. "There he is now, Celboril's coming out of that room with… Yes, he has two books in his hands." he smiled broadly at them, "It looks like he's returning them to the parlor."

Soon the sound of Celboril's voice came drifting down the hallways to them.

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"…and I really would have expected more from you Dolenil."

Dolenil listened patiently. With downcast eyes and a repentant posture, he accepted Celboril's lecture. He did, after all, deserve it—didn't he? The Lords Elladan and Elrohir had started it, but that didn't give him an adequate excuse. Still, the way they had sent him off to receive the brunt of this lecture…

"…how am I suppose to keep Imladris looking like an elven haven! At the moment this room looks more fit to haven _pigs_! Really, it you would only try…"

Lords or no, they were going to feel his wrath—if he survived this.

"Just look at this room!" Celboril motioned around the room. "There's black ink poured all over the carpet, feathers everywhere, this blanket is torn… And there's hardly an un-ruined pillow left! New pillows don't just make themselves!" he looked at the penitent elf before him, satisfied with the effect his words seemed to be having. "Now, I have more important things to do besides reproving _elflings_. I must gather things to get this room cleaned, if you'll excuse me?"

"Of course." Dolenil humbly bowed his head in apology. "Forgive me for the trouble and time I have cost you."

Celboril, now at the door, addressed Dolenil once more:

"Oh, and please pass all I have told you on to the twins? Something like… this…" He waved his hands, indicating the disaster area that had once been a parlor. "can hardly occur around here without them at least giving their approval for it. You will tell them?"

"With pleasure."

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Back to the door, Elladan was talking to his brothers and Legolas just as Dolenil appeared in the doorway behind him.

"I wonder what could possibly be taking Dolenil this long?"

"Um, El…" Elrohir said this as he watched the ominously dark countenance of the tall figure behind his brother.

"I mean he was _only _going to get a blanket and some pillows!" Elladan laughed in his oblivion.

"Elladan, you might want to —"

"Oh, don't worry, muindor. Dolenil can't hear us! Not with all the noise Celboril will be making!"

"But he—"

"Yes, poor Dolenil, so naïve…"

It finally struck Elladan that neither his brother, or Legolas were listening to him. They weren't even looking at him. Yes… He decided, slowly turning around, they were definitely looking at something behind him—or someone.

His eyes went wide as they met with the piercing glare of Dolenil.

Elrohir jumped to his feet as the blond elf's eyes roved around the room, catching him up in their condemning gaze as well.

Slowly backing their way towards a side entrance, the twins offered, in their most soothing tones, excuses and claims of innocence. Under the advancing elf's withering glare, these pretences turned into entreaties for mercy as they retreated out the door.

Dolenil turned to Legolas and Aragorn for just a minute, saying, "My Prince, Lord Estel." as he bowed politely to each of them and handed Aragorn the pillow and blanket that he'd gone through such terrors to procure. "If you will excuse me…"

Aragorn and Legolas watched the proceedings silently, and they could hear Dolenil, out in the hall, pronounce a cruel judgment.

"Celboril asked me to pass this message on…"

It was no more than they deserved.

The sounds of protestation and judgment being meted out faded away, and the two friends were left alone.

Legolas turned to Aragorn with an amused smile.

"That really was an unusually cruel thing that the twins did to poor Dolenil."

"It was." Aragorn agreed. "But right now, I pity Elladan and Elrohir more."

"Yes, Dolenil never was a silent victim of even the smallest pranks, even as an elfling…" Legolas chuckled as he settled himself further on the chair arm, and then changed the subject, "You know, sometimes I think Lord Elrond is right."

"About what?" Aragorn asked as he relaxed onto the couch.

"About us."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you suppose either of us will ever be able to leave our homes and return to them, without one of us being dragged back half-dead?"

Aragorn smiled, answering with his habitual optimism.

"Next time, mellon-nín, next time."

* * *

**The End…For Now…**

**Hehe… I hope no one is _too_ upset over the fact that Acharndil got away… Hey, I can't help it if I like to recycle villains, can I?**

**Reviewer responses:**

**jacquelinestel and wackoranger**Genius! (points at JE) She's a genius! You are SO right – the epilogue IS about "epilogue-ish" stuff! LOL…you are pure genius, mellon-nin, pure genius… Hehehe, so Estel and Legolas are already throwing "freedom celebration" parties? LOL, you told 'em right – I certainly hope to right another one! (looks evilly at characters) And Legolas/Aragorn friendship stories are never complete without a fair amount of angst… (characters scream in terror as Nefhiriel pulls out plot outline) Well at least YOU won't mind : ) Thank you so much for consistently reviewing – as I told you when you first reviewed – I absolutely LOVE your sense of humor!

**zeetus**Hurrah! I missed you : ) Hehehe, well as you can see, it didn't last _quite _as long as I at first predicted… But I'm so glad that you like it enough to actually _complain _now that it's ending. LOL, oh yes, I'm very partial to those inner-voices. I was talking about them with Imbecamiel (my sister), and I just realized that they're sort of 'my' voice in the story (I have a very sarcastic sense of humor in writing). (g) You know when you're reading a story, and you just wish you could shout something at the characters when they're doing something stupid? Well, the "inner-voice" is my way of doing that without messing up the plot completely by jumping in myself to give them a good talking-to ; ) I'm so happy that my story 'kept you alive'! Thank you so much for all your reviews!

**HarryEstel**(dons condescending voice) Down on your KNEES! I want to see you crawling in the dust! (snort) Ok, ok, I'm not going to make you grovel ; ) I'm just happy, and not a little excited, that people actually would _want _a sequel! Well, I'm definitely still writing – I explain more about what I'm working on in my last "author's tome" at the end : ) A thousand thanks for being such a consistent reviewer, mellon-nín!

**Hyperactive Forever**Hehe, I bet you are an incredible bodyguard! Well, Aragorn and Legolas are safe… at least till my next story… (eg) Hey, since they don't need you services any more, can you guard me then? Does that include guarding me from other reviewers? I must warn you, should you accept, that in your job you may encounter such things as "miniature Nazgûl horses", "vampire gerbils" and "zombie bunnies of horrible screaming pain" (really, those are only a few of the "creatures" I've been threatened with). In comparison to _those _things, I think I'd be able to survive you ; ) Well, I'll keep you in mind while I'm writing, and hopefully give you (and Bob) some Elladan-angst – if in turn, you convince Bob to send me some Krispy Creams. (drools) I love those doughnuts… (g) Of COURSE Aragorn can see again! What kind of author do you think I am? Ok, don't answer that question... LOL. Thank you so much for all your encouragement, mellon-nín!

**Troubles8806**(g) YAY! I have permission to be nosy! Well, I'm glad that, on the whole, you had a relaxing Thanksgiving too : ) I've got hardly any relatives at all, so I always have envied those who actually _have_ family to get together with : b I hope you have a wonderful time in Louisiana with your uncle (at least it sounds like you'll have plenty of good food, LOL). I'm going to get a break from the cold this Christmas, and go down to Arizona to be with my Grandparents : ) Hehehe, yup, he can SEE! LOL, believe me, Dagron can be pretty dumb… Hmm, I really like your idea (honestly I do!), but I'm afraid that I really don't have the time or inspiration to put a new twist into this story… I wish I had your ideas _while _I was writing my story : b It would be fascinating to play around with what would happen if he were to go blind again. It would certainly be horrible for him emotionally to go back to being blind, especially after finally coming to terms with it the first time, only to have his sight unexpectedly returned to him. Anyways…I hope you have a wonderful Christmas - thank you SO much for all your encouraging reviews!

**Dagnir Erynion**LOL, I'm glad you liked it : ) Thank you for your reviews!

**Erulasse**(g) Now I get to read _your _story and get _my _Aragorn-angst "quota" filled : ) Hehehe, no it's ME who can't believe that YOU are glad that I like your story! (did that make any sense at all?) LOL, what I mean is that I'm so used to reading other peoples' stories, and being so eager to hear the opinions of authors that I respect, that to BE the person that OTHER people really want to hear from… Well, it's kind of weird to think of other people especially caring what I think ; ) Well, I'll let you go get back to working on that story of yours… Thank you so much for all your reviews!

**Naesse: **Yup, he can see again : D Hehe, it Is so like all of them to get all worried about him so quickly : )Thank you SO much for being such a consistent reviewer – you have been so encouraging!!!

**Mornflower**Hmm… "Cooking with the Characters" – it sounds like it would be a great hit on TV! Let's see, Legolas and the twins could share there secret lembas recipes, and Aragorn could teach all about outdoor cooking… LOL. Hmm, torment with a feather…? Well, lots of feathers in evidence in this chapter, but I think most of the torment more involved Celboril and Dolenil than the feathers ; ) Thank you so much for reviewing, mellon-nin! Your reviews have been so encouraging – not to mention funny : )

**EverKitsune**(cheers) YAY! A long chapter : ) I'm looking forward to reading it (I'm glad you don't mind e-mailing, I always feel so bad when I don't realize someone's posted, and I never reviewed : b ). (g) I'm glad you liked the chapter! Oh, you like to swim? That's a lot of fun! I absolutely LOVE swimming, but for some reason I used to be scared of swimming lessons (I'm homeschooled, so some might say I've just lived a "sheltered life" LOL). Anyways, sorry to jabber on like that : b Thank you so much, mellon-nín, for all the reviews!

**annika: **(g) "I really, really like this story" will definitely "do" : ) Hehe this probably sounds rather heartless, but I'm so happy that you're sad to see my story end – it means (I hope) that I really haven't been torturing you with my scribblings, LOL. Sorry I took so long to update : ( Thank you for all your reviews!

**elvingirl3737: **(laughs manically) I'm RID of IT! It's FRIED, it's FINISHED! Bwahahaha… (sees elvingirl watching) Oh, I mean…Awww, the precious, sweet little thing went and got itself killed…poor thing… (g) I believe you – you don't see weremonkeys of doom every day. (screams) "zombie bunnies of horrible screaming pain"! (gets down on knees) Please, not _them_… LOL, you see, my dog has rather a reputation as a rabbit killer, and I would _so_ hate to see your poor, precious bunnies get hurt... (eg) Yup, Estel can finally see again. Hehehe, I don't think Estel agrees with you about the scolding ; ) Tragic? To see _my _story come to an end?! (g) I'm glad you've enjoyed our "witty repartee" – I certainly have! (huggles) I'm very honored that you're honored to be my friend… if that sentence makes any sense whatever : ) Thank you so much, mellon-nín, for consistently encouraging me throughout this story!

**Lizzie Blakeney: **I'm glad you liked it : ) Thank you SO much for all your encouraging reviews!!!

**elitenschwein: **Well, as you'll read at the bottom, I certainly intend to keep on writing, and hopefully I'll have a few vignettes to bridge the gaps between stories. (g) Yup, the ranger got his sight back, finally! My dad's doing a LOT better – thanks for asking : ) (sigh) I'm so glad you liked that line of Mora's, and Aragorn's inner voice (it sounds like my inner voice too, LOL, I suppose Aragorn's inner voice is kind of "my" voice in the story). (snort) I totally agree: it would take a miracle to keep Estel in bed for a _week_, LOL. Hehehe, I know, it was positively _brilliant _of me to come up with the title "epilogue" : ) Sorry I couldn't update sooner : b Thank you SOOO much for consistently encouraging me with you reviews, mellon-nín!

**Tinorial Peredhil: **(sigh) Last post, and then I'll be going on vacation to Arizona… Ah! What am I saying? No more lovely reviews, no more Tinorial humor, no more last minute dashes to get the chapter up in time... (Tinorial raises an incredulous eyebrow) Hey! Rushing to get the chapter up is well… (Tinorial snorts) It _invigorating_ – you really get that adrenalin flowing! LOL. Ok, so everyone needs a break… But, I am hard at work on a couple more stories! (groans) And just HOW do you expect me to follow THOSE guidelines? No killing ANYONE you like?! Are you kidding? (laughs nervously as Tinorial glares) I guess not… (snort) MORE hilarious Guard dialogue!!! I want MORE! Well, you be sure to bring guard to see me sometimes…'k? (huggles Guard) Guard: You're going to LEAVE me with HER?!?!?! Nefhiriel: Why of course, don't you want to be left with my friend? Guard: You're serious then? (down on knees) I'll do ANYTHING, only don't leave me to this eternal torment! Nefhiriel: (rolls eyes) Such a drama queen…er…soldier. Well…Thank you SO much for all the encouragement – and the laughs – mellon-nín : )

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Ok, if anyone would like a response to their reviews for the last chapter, I would be delighted to send you one if you leave an e-mail address where I can send it!

Also, if anyone isn't a member a , but would like to know when I post a new story, let me know and I'd be happy to send you an e-mail when I start posting again!

For those of you who DID enjoy the story, and asked for a sequel, I just wanted to say a little about the other stories I'm working on at the moment. I have about sixty plot-bunnies chasing me right now, but I have selected only about four to work on at the moment. I'm working on three Action/Adventure/Humor fics (all the following titles are tentative, and may change):

1. _Changing Places_ - Centric on Elladan, Elrohir, and Elrond's relationship. Angst all around! Hehe not to mention lots of humor! Oxymoron? Not when the insane Nefhiriel's writing it ; )

2. _Just an Adventure _– Aragorn and Legolas friendship fic. I'm afraid anything more than that would give away too much of the plot, but LOTS of humor!

3. _Uncommon Friendships _– A direct sequel to _The Wrong One_ featuring Aragorn, Legolas, Dolenil, and…a surprise character : )

All three of the stories will probably be rated PG or mild PG-13.

I'm also working on co-authoring a story with my sister, Imbecamiel. We're not sure what it will be titled, but (take my word on it!) it WILL be full of LOTS of angst (Action/Adventure/Angst). It will be another Aragorn and Legolas friendship story, and will be rated a solid PG-13.

I don't know which way my inspiration will run (I've been running into some severe writers' block lately), but I already have a few vignettes to post, and after that I'll post whichever story I finish first. I'm afraid, however, that it will be at least a month before I can even post one of my vignettes, as I'm going to be in Arizona till about the middle of January. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I can start posting one of my longer stories, but rest assured that I'll be hard at work on them!

**!!!!!!!THANK YOU!!!!!!** I can't say it enough. None of you can quite know the stress I've been going through for the past few months (and I won't bore you to tears with details), but I've had some major family problems, health problems, and on top of it all I'm moving away from the house I've lived in since I was three… (sigh) Your reviews have been SO encouraging! And when I say "thank you, this story would not have been possible without you all" – I honestly mean it! I've enjoyed talking with each and every one of you, and I feel like I've made quite a few friends. (huggles) A special thanks to all of you, and especially to those who loyally reviewed almost every chapter – your insights have been invaluable, and also so much fun to read! So, from the very bottom of my heart…thank you.

**Well, I think that's everything! I hope I haven't forgotten anything, or anyone… Thanks so much, all of you! I'm really going to miss you : (**

**I hope to see you on my next story : )**

**- Nefhiriel**

**Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F**


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